


Justice League of Kate

by briwd



Category: DCU, DCU (Animated), DCU (Comics), DCU (Movies), Justice League, NCIS
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Crisis, Gen, Humor, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-13
Updated: 2015-01-30
Packaged: 2018-02-08 15:06:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 35,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1945713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/briwd/pseuds/briwd
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A riff on DC Comics' Crisis on Infinite Earths, where a group of superheroes from alternate realities - all of whom happen to resemble Kate Todd - are gathered to fight a group of villains resembling Ari Haswari. While Ari has a villainous version of Kate as his consort, the 'Kate League' have their own allies, such as another JLA and a team of agents who live on borrowed time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Prologue #1**

 

Jethro held Kate’s head in his hands, focused only on making her last moments as peaceful and painless as he could.

 

He blocked out the sight of everyone else’s bodies, and the sounds of the laugh of the lunatic who murdered them. The gods, it seemed, had seen fit to give Jethro a last goodbye to only the second woman whom he had fallen head over heels for, and loved with all his heart, and whom felt the same for him. The gods had seen fit to give him another once-in-a-lifetime love, after they took away his first.

 

The gods seemed to have absentmindedly forgotten to keep them from dying. Unlike Shannon, and their daughter Kelly, at least Jethro would get to see Kate off to the great unknown.

 

She told him, weakly, she loved him and that he needed to be strong, to move forward and…

 

…all he remembered was her final breath. And his screams of anguish.

 

And, later, he saw himself lifted off the dirt by some of the red-skinned aliens who, years before, had taken him and put him on a path he couldn’t possibly have dreamed of.

 

**Prologue #2**

 

Years later, the monitor sat on his stool and looked out the window at the universe. His universe.

 

Not too long ago on his world, a scientist had proved that the center of the universe was not his world and, by implication, his species.

 

The earth was nowhere close to the true center of the monitor's own universe, but to him, it was, is, and will be everything.

 

When he was handpicked to be the 'monitor' by a panel of his peers, the old Marine was forced to rethink everything he knew about reality. He saw men and women who appeared human, but were very different people. They all shared the same red pigmentation and weird uniform; otherwise they all had very little in common, other than they were the monitors of their own universes.

 

At first there were 51 others. Some disappeared and were replaced with no warning. There were crises upon crises, and handling it while keeping his universe secure taxed even the Marine's resources. For a few years, he tried to handle everything himself and it worked.

 

Then came Flashpoint. To save his universe, he had to put at risk the few heroes protecting his earth - and let loose the greatest villain it had ever known.

 

His universe - his world - survived.

 

Its heroes - his proteges - did not. Neither did his archnemesis, Ari, whom met his demise at the hands of a much greater foe:

 

 

This...entity was going through the universes and had ravaged dozens of earths, subjugating - or killing - their inhabitants and champions.

 

One self-professed champion was recruited with the promise to leave his world be, and tasked by Darkseid with finding his own counterparts to help pave the way for Anti-Life. This man - Ari Luthor, the self-professed son of the infamous Lex Luthor - was in fact no champion, and in fact was his world's counterpart of Ari.

 

The monitor therefore would have to assemble a task force to fight these new threats.

 

He could expect no help from his peers, whom concentrated on their own realms. However, because many of them were lax, he could reach into other universes and ask for help from other heroes.

 

The other monitors who tended to reach outside of their own realities tended to look for analogues of the most powerful and well-known heroes: Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, Diana, Hal Jordan, Barry Allen, to name a few.

 

This monitor would also look for analogues for the great heroes, but he'd look first for the people he mentored, knew and trusted. There were literally countless worlds to investigate, and surprisingly, his 'team' had as many powered counterparts as unpowered.

 

They ranged the gamut, from Jim Palmer, the Doctor Fate of Earth-623, to Tony DiNozzo, the quarterback turned hero on Earth-216. Some were bizarre - Abigail, the personification of death and the associate of Morpheus on Earth-1989. Others were heroic, albeit apart from the mainstream - such as McGee, the living personification of the Internet and a member of the Doom Patrol of Earth-1006. Some embraced heroism after unpleasant pasts - like Ziva of the Blackhawks from Earth-898.

 

Most of the counterparts of the monitor's heroes, however, lived as civilians, and the vast majority worked in law enforcement or as agents - and none had the training for the task the monitor was facing.

 

There were more Zivas who were powered or well-trained than any of the others, but together they didn't have the range of abilities needed to face down Darkseid's seconds. Most of them were Blackhawks or proteges of their worlds' Bruce Waynes or Dick Graysons, a few were Green Lanterns and one was gifted with the power of Shazam.

 

The next group of his peoples' analogues were the Tonys, whom ranged from human targets to Commander Steels to Agent Libertys. One was the Booster Gold of Earth-216, another the protege of the Green Arrow.

 

Together they might be able to take down the threat, but the monitor concluded using them now would amount to throwing away a valuable resource. He needed Supermen, Batmen, Wonder Women, Green Lanterns - he needed an entire Justice League, and using the Tonys and Zivas together at this point in time would result in mass bloodshed and take them off the board in a potential future engagement with Darkseid.

 

The Palmer analogues, interestingly, were more powerful as a group than the Zivas and Tonys combined, but lacked the fortitude needed to take on a Luthor, much less a Darkseid. Using them would also waste a valuable resource.

 

There were plenty of his own analogues around, but no time to seed them as varied heroes and train them in their abilities.

 

One of his peoples' analogues had what he was looking for - a variety of powers, skills and training, and the necessary attitude and heart to face the threat head on.

 

The Kates.

 

Fortunately, he had the clone of his own Kate to help him in his recruitment. Although he himself couldn't leave his lair, she, as his Harbinger, could go to any universe and bring them to where they needed to be. Being one of them, she could most easily persuade the others to join, and had the power to compel them to accompany her if they refused.

 

So, the monitor told his Harbinger, the clone whom he had regarded as his daughter, what the plan was. They organized and prepared. Then he sent her off, wishing her godspeed.

 

As Harbinger journeyed to her first destination - Earth-116, to find one of the Batman proteges - the monitor went to the basement of his lair. He spent some time working on his boat, then stopped to rest, drinking his coffee and looking at two photos of his loved ones.

 

His deceased wife and daughter. And, in the second photo, his deceased team members.

 

The monitor allowed himself to enjoy their memories for a brief moment, then refocused on his task at hand. A task which began with the arrival of the Batwoman, and a Superwoman who both was not and was Kate, and continued with the next of many journeys: Earth-222 to find a Green Lantern, then Earth-226 to find a Wonder Woman, Earth-419 for a Mary Marvel, Earths-185 and 319 for members of the Legion of Super Heroes, and so on...

 

...until the Monitor of Earth-223 had his Justice League of Kates.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harbinger brings the first three Kates together - a Green Lantern, a Superwoman and a Batwoman; Green Lantern tells her backstory.

**Chapter 1**

**Earth-222**

 

One moment, Kate Todd is thrown into a car, realizing she had been kidnapped.

 

The next moment, that same car is bathed in green, the driver knocked unconscious.

 

And she finds herself face to face with a short older, blue-skinned man, wearing a robe with the Green Lantern symbol on his chest, offering her the most powerful object in the universe.

 

"You will do."

 

Those are the first words this...man...says to her. She'd normally be taken aback by such an opening line, but she's noticed his demeanor. He's under some enormous pressure, as if the weight of a world is on his shoulders; she senses somehow whatever he feels like he has to do hinges on this moment.

 

As in now. As in what she decides to do with this ring.

 

 _Ohmigod_ , she thinks.

 

"This ring. Take it," the man says, as if spurring her along. Quickly. Kate's a profiler, so she's trying to get a read on this guy.

 

The first thing that comes to her mind is how sad he is. The next is how deeply that sadness goes.

 

"You want me. _Me_. To take that thing."

 

Kate blurts it out, regretting her tone as soon as she says it, although her training would demand she see this man as a potentially deadly threat. You don't regret speaking harshly to a threat - unless your gut tells you there's something very different going on here.

 

"Take it," he says to Kate. "Please."

 

She reaches out, and when she takes it the ring melds to her hand and she's wearing a uniform molded to her body, modest in all the right places, yet very functional, and a lot like the guy who helped form the Justice League.

 

And Kate's thinking about none of that, because she's staring at this deeply sad old man, who finally looks like he's reached some sort of peace.

 

"Sir?" she calls out to him. "What...what do you want me to do with this?"

 

"What you must," he replies. "What...you…must."

 

Before she can say anything else, the man disappears in a green-shrouded fog, and she's left there by herself. Kate's alone, except for the still unconscious driver, and the car, and Gibbs, Tony and McGee running down this alley where she's at.

 

" _KATE_!" Gibbs yells, running full-bore on his bum knee, keeping pace with the two much younger men. When he catches up to her, he looks her over for signs of injury or assault, speechless at her appearance.

 

"Uh, Kate," Tony finally sputters out. "Um, er, Halloween's not for another--"

 

"DiNozzo! McGee! Secure the driver and search the car!" Gibbs spits out, and both men yell "Right Boss!" in unison; as they cuff the driver to the steering wheel, Gibbs looks over Kate, and calls Ducky on his cell phone.

 

"Just you, and bring your bag," Gibbs says before hanging up. He looks over Kate's head and then at her hand with the ring.

 

"Katie," he says. "How are you feeling?"

 

"Fine," she answers, matter of factly. She's actually feeling pretty good...physically. Mentally and emotionally, she's bewildered by whatever the heck happened but she doesn't want to admit that to Gibbs just yet.

 

Not that he doesn't already think something really hinky's going on.

 

"What happened here?" Gibbs asks her, and she tells him the best she can.

 

**The present**

**Somewhere that isn’t Earth-222**

 

Kate told her story to three women who could be her twin sisters. Two are blonde, one brunette like herself. The brunette is dressed in a Batman suit, one of the blondes in a Superman suit (with a turtleneck and long pants). The other blonde – Harbinger, the one who brought her here, to this large auditorium, has a ponytail and is wearing a blue and red one-piece suit like nothing she’s seen before.

 

After some convincing, Kate’s decided to tell her story to these women. The ring seems to regard them as trustworthy, and her gut says fighting the ponytailed woman will cause more problems than it’s worth, so she goes along with the ponytail’s request.

 

She starts by talking about her family, and all three women seem to recognize them, or their counterparts. Then she mentions earth, and America, and Kal-El and Bruce Wayne, and Hal Jordan, also recognizable to all women.

 

The part about Parallax, and the Corps, and Hal Jordan killing the Corps horrifies the Superwoman, and disturbs the Bat.  Harbinger is impassive.

 

All three know Ari, and react with anger.

 

Kate very briefly mentioned the part of her story about Ari being turned from a terrorist into a sociopathic villain who fridged Abby, and where she had to leave NCIS and prove herself to the JLA, and then fell in love with Donna, Wonder Woman's first Probie, now a long-time respected member of the Titans.

 

"Well, I'm thru talking to myself," she quipped, mentally elbowing herself for echoing Booster Gold...and Tony. “Now you, lady.”

 

She looked at Harbinger.

 

“You wanna go next?”

 

The Superwoman – at least five years younger than Kate and her Bat counterpart – seemed shocked at her bluntness.

 

“Excuse me!” she said, eyes wide open. “That’s extremely rude! We’re her guests.”

 

“Her guests???” the Bat interjected sharply, as Superwoman gave her the same shocked look. “Harbinger’s actions suggest we are her prisoners.”

 

“Prisoners?” retorted Superwoman, who to Kate was acting like an innocent teenager; Kate knew the Supergirl, Kara Zor-El, from her world wasn’t quite that sweet and innocent. Neither were Kara’s predecessors, the Matrix and Linda Danvers, the latter who could outsnark Kate herself.

 

“She asked me to come with her,” Superwoman said. “Harbinger said there was a terrible threat that she needed me to help fight. She told you the same thing, right?”

 

The Bat smirked.

 

“Right?” Superwoman said, pleadingly, wondering if Harbinger had lied.

 

“That is what she said,” Kate Lantern said, looking at Harbinger. “What did she tell you, Bats?”

 

“The same thing,” the Bat replied. “Very few details, nothing that comes close to answering my questions. And I have a lot of questions.”

 

So did Kate Lantern and Superwoman.

 

Harbinger conceded the Bat’s point.

 

"Very well. My name is Harbinger, and I have brought you here as part of a League to fight a threat that could potentially destroy the multiverse itself."

 

Kate blinked her eyes. She'd heard some over-the-top claims since Ganthet gave her that ring, but this topped them all.

 

Then again, she was in a huge room with three doppelgangers.

 

“Get real,” the Bat grumbled.

 

"This is no game," Harbinger continued. "Indeed, what the Monitor has sent me to do is life and death not just for yourselves, but for trillions across universes."

 

“The ‘Monitor’?” Superwoman said. “Is he a friend of yours? Is he your mentor?”

 

“You can say that,” Harbinger replied.

 

Kate Lantern decided to change the subject, focusing on Harbinger’s ‘League’.

 

"I...understand. We all do,” Lantern said. “There's a threat, and we're the only ones who can save the world. But four people – even a Kryptonian and a Green Lantern – don’t seem to be to be enough."

 

“You’re correct; you three aren’t ‘enough’,” Harbinger said, before disappearing in a flash of light.

 

Superwoman looked around, then flew around the auditorium, looking for any sign of Harbinger; Kate Lantern did the same, scanning the area with her ring.

 

“Ring indicates she…disappeared,” Lantern said, noticing the Bat standing in place, looking around. “You see something we missed?”

 

“Taking note of our surroundings,” the Bat said as she put her cowl back on. With it, Lantern noticed it looked like something Barbara Gordon/Oracle might have worn if she patterned her Batgirl uniform exactly after Bruce Wayne’s.

 

“Harbinger has to come back…right?” said the Superwoman, who was as cheerful and bubbly and brighteyed as the Bat was brooding and dark and intense.

 

Lantern stopped hovering, and pulled over one of the chairs Harbinger left for them.

 

“There are five dozen of these chairs,” Lantern said. “We need to see if she left us food and water. Bathroom facilities. I suggest we split up.”

 

“Excellent idea,” the Bat said. “We’ll split the auditorium up in thirds, and meet back here in the middle in one hour.”

 

To the other women, the Bat was as bossy as the Bruce Wayne they knew. So, Lantern decided to confirm one of her suspicions.

 

“Before we do this,” she said. “Would you two at least tell me your names and summarize yourselves in a sentence? Backstories can wait until we come back. And I do want to hear your stories…especially since I told you mine.”

 

"Fair enough,” the Bat replied, beating Superwoman to the punch. “Like you, my name is Caitlin Todd. I'm satisfied introducing myself as Batwoman. I work with the Batman, Bruce Wayne, from my universe. And that's all you'lll get for the time being."

 

"Come on, Kate," said Superwoman. "Don't be such a Gloomy Gus."

 

“You next, Kate of Steel,” Lantern said, groaning at her pun, wondering if Plastic Man was rubbing off on her.

 

"Alright. I'm Julie Todd, but my real name is Kara Zor-El. I'm from Argo City, my rocket landed in Indiana, I was raised by a family, my powers kicked in when I was 12 and Superman helped me become a superhero. I'm a federal agent. You can call me Supergirl, or Superwoman if you like."

 

Superwoman grinned, earnest, sincere and happy.

 

“And you look like us, and Harbinger,” Bat said, very skeptically. “Unless we were born on Krypton, that is impossible.”

 

“The Matrix caused me to look like my sister, Kate,” Superwoman added. “She’s technically your doppleganger, not me. But she has no powers, and I’m the Kryptonian. So I guess that’s why I’m here.”

 

“Which we’ll find more about after we get the lay of the land,” Lantern said, as a thought came to her mind. “Either of you know a Leroy Jethro Gibbs?”

 

“Yes,” Batwoman said before Superwoman could respond. “You’re wondering if he’ll show up.”

 

“If anyone could, he’d be the one,” Lantern said.

 

“That’s how I regard Bruce,” Batwoman replied. “For now, Lantern, unfortunately we're on our own."

 

> **GREEN LANTERN (Caitlin Rose Todd) of Earth-222**
> 
> **PERSONAL DATA**
> 
>  
> 
> **Alter Ego:** Caitlin Rose Todd
> 
> **Occupation** : Federal Agent, Naval Criminal Investigative Service
> 
> **Marital Status:** Single
> 
> **Known Relatives:** Arthur Todd (father), Melissa Todd (mother), Rachel Todd Cranston (sister), Roger Todd (eldest brother), Daniel Todd (middle brother), Gerry Todd (youngest brother), Maureen Ingalls (cousin)
> 
> **Other associates:** Leroy Jethro Gibbs (special agent in charge, Major Case Response Team, Washington Field Office, NCIS); Jennifer Shepard (Director, NCIS); Anthony DiNozzo (senior special agent, NCIS); Tim McGee (special agent, NCIS); Ziva David (liaison to NCIS from Mossad); Dr. Donald Mallard (NCIS Chief Medical Examiner); Jimmy Palmer (assistant to Dr. Mallard); Abby Sciuto (ex-girlfriend, former NCIS forensics analsyst, deceased); Paula Cassidy (NCIS Special Agent); Stan Burley (NCIS Special Agent); Stella Bonasera (NCIS head forensics analyst, hired after Ms. Sciuto’s death); Diana Prince (special agent, DEO, a.k.a. Wonder Woman); J’onn J’onzz (Martian Manhunter, JLA liaison to NCIS); Helena Bertinelli (a.k.a. The Huntress)
> 
> **Group Affiliation:** Justice League of America
> 
> **Base of Operations:** Washington, D.C., USA
> 
> **Height** : 5’7” **Weight** : 130 lbs.
> 
> **Eyes** : Hazel **Hair** : Brown
> 
>  
> 
> **HISTORY**
> 
>  
> 
> Kate Todd was born to a lawyer and a businesswoman in Indianapolis, and was raised as the youngest of five children. She initially decided to pursue a career in law upon entering college, then followed in her older brother's footsteps and decided to pursue a career as a federal agent.
> 
>  
> 
> She joined the Secret Service, and quickly worked her way onto the protection detail of the President of the United States. However, a personal indiscretion led to her dismissal from the Secret Service - and a chance encounter led to her being brought into the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, where she quickly proved herself to be a competent agent, albeit one still learning the ins and outs of her job.
> 
>  
> 
> It was on one of her team's cases where her life would change forever.
> 
>  
> 
> The famed Green Lantern Corps had been decimated due to the actions of the being Parallax, who had possessed Green Lantern Hal Jordan and manipulated him into murdering 90 percent of the Corps and maiming the rest, then murdering all but one of the Guardians who oversaw the Corps. The lone Guardian - Ganthet - searched for a suitable being to give the last Green Lantern ring to; he chose Kate.
> 
>  
> 
> While learning to use the ring, she continued to work at NCIS. Her team's archnemesis discovered what had happened to Kate, and sought to blackmail her and her team. He escalated his war against Kate and her teammates, eventually murdering Kate's secret lover, Abby Sciuto (eventually, Abby's murderer was killed by his half-sister). Grieving her loss, Kate was put on 'indefinite' leave from NCIS while learning how to operate as Green Lantern; she later returned to the agency, as a 'roaming' agent assigned to Washington. Only the director and her former teammates know her dual identity.
> 
>  
> 
> As Green Lantern, Kate began to meet members of the superhero community, including many of Hal Jordan's associates. She joined the Justice League of America after it reformed during the White Martian invasion, and is a member in good standing.
> 
>  
> 
> **POWERS & WEAPONS**
> 
>  
> 
> Kate has no natural, permanent superpowers. When she wields her power ring, she is able to fly, shoot laser beams, and create constructs of varying densities and strength. She has indomitable willpower, and is a skilled hand-to-hand combatant from her Secret Service and NCIS training and through one-on-one training by the Batman.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2**

**Earth-205**

 

“Good work, Kate!”

 

The Challengers of the Unknown, once again, had closed the book on one of their always unusual and fantastic cases.

 

This case involved a disgraced scientist, Olan Tagorian, sentenced to prison for numerous violations of the Patriot Act, including selling equipment and knowledge to terrorists for profit. Tagorian sought revenge on the FBI – namely, senior agent and liaison to the Challengers Tobias Fornell – going so far as to put a hit on Fornell.

 

When the Challengers were sent to capture Tagorian, the scientist fought back with his so-called “infinity machine” – a device which tapped into the multiversal bleed, dragging animals and beings from other worlds to Earth-205 and, in the process, causing havoc with the bleed. The Challengers were ordered to shut the device down.

 

Challenger agent Kate Todd went above and beyond to do so, including befriending a baby dinosaur ripped from his world, whom helped Kate and the Challs turn the tables on Tagorian and rescue Fornell.

 

At the moment, the team was finishing up the case, filing paperwork at its Challengers Mountain facility and seeing Tagorian off to Belle Reve Supermax prison in Louisiana. Kate was in Evidence, taking photographs of the machine to send to the FBI and inter-dimensional expert Professor Emil Hamilton.

 

Kate turned around to write a few notes in her pad, and saw a bright light from behind her, and the machine; she grabbed her P229 phase pistol, whipped halfway around and pointed it at the source of the light.

 

What she saw was herself, if she was blonde, and wearing the craziest red-and-blue one-piece uniform somebody could dream up.

 

“Caitlin Rose Todd of Earth 205,” said the blonde woman, hovering four feet above the ground, with a yellow-and-white aura emanating from her body, “we have need of you.”

 

Kate looked at her with much suspicion, her right hand aiming the gun at the woman (and finger on the trigger), her left hand reaching for her phone; not moving her eyes off the stranger, she dialed her team’s squadroom.

 

“Gibbs,” said her boss.

 

“Gibbs, I need backup right now. Unknown female has just appeared in evidence, next to the machine. Intentions unknown at this time,” Kate said into her phone. “Don’t you move an inch, lady.”

 

“On my way.” Gibbs hung up his desk phone and ordered his other four agents – Tony DiNozzo, Ziva David, Paula Cassidy and Tim McGee – to follow him down to evidence ASAP. Meanwhile, Kate was trying to hold the woman at bay.

 

The woman began moving towards Kate, who steadied her finger on the trigger of her pistol.

 

“You are ordered to stay put…no. Drop to your knees. Hands behind your head, cross your legs,” Kate yelled at her. “Do it. Do it right now. NOW.”

 

“Caitlin, we have need of you,” said the woman, with Kate’s own face and voice. “The monitor needs you.”

 

Gibbs and four of the other Challengers ran into the room, weapons locked and loaded, and all aimed at the stranger.

 

“Identify yourself,” Gibbs yelled at her. “Who the hell are you, what are you doing here?!?”

 

The woman didn’t bother to answer him.

 

She simply disappeared…and Kate disappeared with her, leaving five men and women in shock.

 

Of all the people to lose, Kate was the one Gibbs simply couldn’t live without. Nor would he.

 

“MCGEE!” he screamed, more loudly and with more fear than any of the others had ever noticed from Gibbs. “GET ABBY, TELL ME WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED…NOW MCGEE!!!”

 

“Uh, y-yes, Boss,” McGee said, taking off in a sprint towards Forensics.

 

**The Auditorium**

 

The three women mapped out the venue they had taken to calling ‘The Auditorium’, and found a kitchen stocked with fruits, vegetables and breads, and running water in sinks next to cupboards filled with plates and utensils. They also found restroom and shower facilities with a variety of soaps and shampoos, and adjacent rooms stocked with towels of varying sizes.

 

“At least we won’t starve,” Lantern said, sitting in one of the chairs; she considered having her ring make a couch for all three to recline in, but opted to conserve the ring’s power supply.

 

“That is good, healthwise for ourselves, assuming the food and water are safe to consume,” the Bat replied. “I want you to have your ring do a scan of the food and water, to ensure they are safe and not poisonous.”

 

“I can do that,” Superwoman said, cheerfully. “Microscopic vision. Tell me what to look for.”

 

They figured out what to look for, and Superwoman determined the food and water were safe to consume. The three returned to their chairs and, at Lantern’s insistence, the mid-20s blonde Superwoman began telling her story, hands clasped and legs crossed.

 

"My name’s Julie, but my birth name is Kara, you can call me either one,” she began. “I don't remember much about Argo. My birth parents put me in the Matrix, mother comforting me, father saying they were sending me someplace safe but they couldn't come with me. Then the matrix closed, I felt a shudder and I was away, my mind filled with as much of Krypton's history and culture, and the House of El's story, as possible.

 

"I landed in a cornfield east of Indianapolis, and was found by my other parents, Arthur and Melissa Todd. And they had their youngest daughter, Kate - you, but not you? Green Lantern? Not you either....sorry, BatKate. Back to my story: the matrix decided to change my appearance to make me look like Kate, maybe a more athletic version, few inches taller, but just like her.

 

" So....they raised me as one of their own, and helped me find my way, and learn how to use my powers the best I could. They also helped me find Kal-El, who lived in Metropolis as...can I say it?...oh? Of course. He's the same guy, both of you?...Clark Kent. His rocket landed in a cornfield, too, but this was in Kansas, and he grew up in a small town...you don't have to glare at me, Bats! That's rude!

 

"Kal, Clark, wanted to use me as his secret weapon, and dad would have none of it. He thought I deserved to operate out in the open if I wanted to, and I really wanted to. Finally Kal and Diana and Bruce put me with the Titans, and it was awesome to cut loose a little.

 

"Moving forward...I dated someone named Gar, Beast Boy, who could turn into all kinds of animals - speaking of, I got to bring some animals to help us out!...in a minute, okay, Bats...there was the Legion, where I met another cute boy, Querl, Brainiac 5, and really got to cut loose! And then I came back to the present - the Legion's in the future, Kate Lantern...you should ask Kal about them - and nearly died in the Crisis, but another Supergirl died in my place, and it was really said. That was a few years ago.

 

"Since then, I was asked to join the JLA, which is run by a guy named Max Lord...you know him Kate Lantern? You rolled your eyes. You don't like him...don't wanna talk about it? OK...I worked with them while training in FLET-C to be a federal agent. My 'twin' sister did, too, and she chose to go into the Secret Service and protect the President. I went into NCIS…you both know of them? Good...I work for a guy named Gibbs, and there's Tony, McGee, and Ziva, and Abby in the forensics lab, and Ducky and Jimmy in the morgue, and sometimes Paula and Cassie and Callen and Sam work with us, and we have Jenny who runs the agency with Leon as her deputy...and that’s it…oh, one more thing: I wanna show you my animals.”

 

Lantern and the Bat looked at each other. “Animals?” the Bat said. “What animals? Where are they?”

 

“Hiding,” Superwoman said, following up with a loud whistle.

 

From out of nowhere appeared a white terrier; an orange cat; a brown gorilla; and a white horse, all wearing the familiar red Superman cape, with the ‘S’ outlined in black over the yellow shield.

 

“I…I gotta admit; I didn’t expect this at all,” said Lantern, as the horse nuzzled the side of her head. The gorilla took a position next to Superwoman, while the dog nuzzled Batwoman’s leg (to her chagrin, and Lantern’s amusement).

 

The cat, looking extremely annoyed by everybody, sat to itself in the middle, as Superwoman made her introductions.

 

"This is Tony, my Superdog; Stinky my Supercat; Beppo my Super Gorilla - don't worry, he's a gentle giant, unless you're one of the bad guys; and Comet my Superhorse,” Kara/Julie said. “Beppo's from Krypton, the others are from Earth but got exposed to Sparkly Kryptonite which gave them my superpowers.”

 

“Sparkly Kryptonite?” Bats replied.

 

“Yes. Gives earth animals superpowers,” Kara/Julie said, as if that explained everything. "So anyway, enough about me. What about you....BatKate?"

 

Kate Todd, aka Batwoman, aka BatKate, began telling her story, as Tony the Superdog jumped on her lap.

 

"My family was originally from Indiana, but we moved to Gotham, a decision I did not agree with. I was in no position to argue, so I decided to make the best of it. As long as we didn't wander into the worst parts of town, we were safe.

 

"Until May 25, 2005, three years ago.

 

"I had graduated from Gotham University with a degree in criminology and was considering a career in the Secret Service. My family and I were out celebrating - all of us kids were out of the house by now, some of us lived in the city, some flew in. We rented a room at my dad's favorite Italian restaurant, and were enjoying the afternoon.

 

"Then he showed up...who is he?

 

“His name is Ari.

 

“He's from Israel, angry at his father who tried to turn him into a double agent, came to America, and took out his rage by committing atrocities. He fell into a vat at a chemical plant, and renamed himself the Joker. The Batman - Bruce, Bruce Wayne - Bruce has tried to capture him for years and Joker's always found a way to escape.

 

"One of those times, he came to the restaurant, and killed almost everyone. He killed my family. He didn't kill me. Oh, he tried. But I fought him...I know I only survived because Bruce and Dick and some of the Leaguers showed up.

 

"Bruce took me in and offered to train me, but he went too hard at first. I was too angry, and too hurt, to understand what he was trying to do for me. I wanted to bail, but one of the other Leaguers, one of the Original Eight - Sergeant Steel, Gibbs - made him back down. Gibbs took me on, and trained me, and by September I was working alongside Gibbs - Sgt. Steel - and with the Titans.

 

"That lasted for a few months, until Joker killed Gibbs.

 

"I felt lost and as if everyone was coming against me - Joker, that insane Mossad agent trying to use me to lure Joker, DEO Director Shepard, Waller and the Suicide Squad, that creepy woman Isley who kept making advances towards me - and it took Diana, Kara and Shayera to get me to a calm place where I could make rational decisions about my future.

 

“One of which was to talk with Bruce, who has turned out to be as much of a mentor and supporter as Gibbs would've been. I took my codename, Batwoman, in honor of Bruce, and my uniform include portions of the Sgt. Steel armor in honor of Gibbs.

 

“I work alone, and with Gibbs and his ward - currently Jason Todd, no relation...believe me, we've thoroughly checked his background four times - and with other so-called "superheroes" as necessary...that is my story, Kara, as you requested."

 

Lantern reached over and hugged her in comfort. Batwoman – her lap full of dog – nodded her sympathy.

 

Lantern then briefly reviewed what she had just heard, and how she herself got to this auditorium.

 

The stories the other Leaguers had told her about the multiverse – including their adventures on ‘Earth 2’, which had its own dopplegangers of her Earth’s Justice League and Justice Society – didn’t ring as true as what she was experiencing right now, first hand.

 

Lantern hoped her League teammates had noticed her absence, and were trying to find her.

 

In the meantime, she decided to take charge.

 

“Before we can figure a way out of here, we need to determine where ‘here’ is,” Lantern said. “Those windows. Are we looking out at the night sky? Or space?”

 

“Space, most likely,” Bats said. “Outer space provides more clarity than just about anywhere on Earth, due to the absence of the atmosphere—“

 

“And if we see stars, we can chart the sky,” Superwoman said. “I’ll volunteer. Astronomy is a hobby of mine, and I used the stars when Kal had me fly out to Neptune to take pictures for NASA.”

 

“Excuse me,” Lantern said. “Fly to Neptune. For NASA. To take pictures.”

 

“Yes,” she replied. “Kal was doing a survey of Saturn.”

 

“If we see stars, and they’re as clear as you suggest, that means we’re in space, and that means we’re on a ship,” Batwoman said. “Can you see out? Either of you?”

 

Superwoman could not; her vision extended only to the walls. Lantern’s ring couldn’t get a read on anything outside the auditorium. So they went to the windows, and identified some familiar constellations – and planets.

 

“I see what looks like Saturn, if we were in Earth orbit,” Kara said. “And at the same distance it should be from Earth. That would mean we’re in orbit above an Earth….Great Scott!”

 

Lantern scrunched her eyebrows while Batwoman rolled her eyes at that exclamation.

 

“Great Scott!” Superwoman said. “That’s a planet below us.”

 

A few minutes later, they determined they were looking down at south China, and the ship was going east over the Pacific. Thinking quickly, Lantern used her ring to take a picture of what she knew to be Hong Kong.

 

"Five miles is as close as I could get, but I'll toss it up in the...uh, air." Lantern created a high-definition screen, showing images of downtown Hong Kong, Kowloon and Victoria Harbour.

 

"The city looks contemporary, to my own world and era anyway," BatKate observed, and the others agreed. "So this is an Earth. Not necessarily our own."

 

"When and if we pass over North America, Julie and I can look for major cities - Los Angeles, Metropolis, New York, Washington, Chicago--" Lantern said, only to be interrupted by a bright light on the other side of the station.

 

Harbinger was back, and she brought friends with her.

 

Specifically, more doppelgangers, apparently filling out this League she told Kate Lantern about.

 

The first doppelganger to introduce herself was adorned in red and yellow - with a tuff of brown hair sticking out the top and a brown ponytail out the back of her mask - and spoke very fast.

 

"HimynameisKateToddI'mfromIndianapolisandI'mtheFlashofmyworld," she said, pausing to take a breath, then resuming.

 

"IwashitbylightningwhileworkingacaseinHomicideandIgainedsuperspeedIstillworkfortheIndianapolisPoliceDepartment--"

 

Superwoman was following along just fine.

 

"doyouknowGibbs?He'smybossDoyouknowTonyandMcGeetheyworkwithme--"

 

Batwoman tried to follow along. Lantern relied on her ring to translate, and prepared to fill the Bat in with details.

 

"--andAbbyshe'sinthecrimelabandDuckyhe'sthecity'smedicalexaminerIalsoworkwitheJusticeLeague--"

 

Lantern needed the ring just to follow along. She just hoped it didn't put too much of a strain on its reserves; it'd been 11 hours since she recharged it.

 

"Whoa!" Lantern said, holding up both hands. "Calm down. Relax."

 

KateFlash did as she was asked. "Sorry," she said. "I just got pulled from a battle with Guy and Dinah against the Rogues, and against Zoom. That woman who looks like...us...said it was matter of life and death."

 

"Literally," Batwoman replied. "Although, she has yet to explain exactly why she needs us, and the specific nature of the threat."

 

"Maybe she was waiting to get them," FlashKate replied, and the other three women looked past her and saw 13 more heroines.

 

Looking left to right, the first person Kate Lantern saw wore Ollie Queen's Green Arrow uniform, the cowl version. Another was dressed in Black Canary's fishnet uniform, and both were suspiciously eyeballing the other.

 

There was a Hawkwoman, with the familiar hawk mask and mace, and Lantern saw a tiny figure on the Hawkwoman’s shoulder wearing Ray Palmer's Atom uniform.

 

Then there was a Kate dressed in Firestorm's uniform, and Lantern briefly wondered who the other person in the matrix was - Gibbs? Tony? Ducky? Abby, McGee? Ziva? Ronnie Raymond?

 

Next to her was a white Martian, who morphed into a uniform that looked like something a modest female J'onn J'onzz would wear - and she definitely looked like the other Kates.

 

Moving to the right past Kate the Manhunter (?), was a Kate android, looking like a female Red Tornado. Besides her was another Kate, wearing Zatanna's tuxedo uniform.

 

And, a Kate dressed in Aquaman's orange and green uniform; a Kate with pale white skin who looked like Metamorpho; a Kate garbed, head to toe, in all Platinum; and a Kate wearing Ted Kord's Blue Beetle costume.

 

Lantern looked upwards, and saw the classic 'Bug' airship hovering above them.

 

Finally, a woman, in a purple suit, yellow piping going down one side, arms folded, and very annoyed, stood in front, looking like she was going to rip into Harbinger if she could just get her hands on the woman.

 

She wasn’t the only one.

 

"Well, ladies, looks like we have our League," Lantern said. "Perhaps we can finally get to business--"

 

She was interrupted by another bright flash, and a moment later, Harbinger had disappeared, again, leaving 16 women to themselves, all whom had questions, either confused or frustrated.

 

"Looks like she's not done yet," Superwoman said.

 

"Maybe not," Lantern replied. "Let's not sit around and wait for her. Let's meet these other women, then figure out a way off this ship."

 

> **SUPERWOMAN (Kara Zor-El/Juliana "Julie" Fern Todd) of Earth-120**
> 
> **PERSONAL DATA**
> 
>  
> 
> **Occupation** : Federal Agent, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, assigned to Washington, D.C.
> 
> **Marital Status** : Single
> 
> **Known Relatives** : Zor-El (natural father), Alura (natural mother), Kal-El (cousin), Jor-El (uncle, deceased), Lara (aunt, deceased), Arthur and Melissa Todd (adoptive parents), Roger, Daniel and Gerry Todd (adoptive brothers), Rachel Todd Cranston (adoptive sister)
> 
> **Group Affiliation** : Legion of Super-Heroes, Titans, Justice League of America
> 
> **Base of Operations** : Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Washington, D.C., USA
> 
> **Height** : 5’10” **Weight** : 150 lbs.
> 
> **Eyes** : Hazel (as Julie), Blue (as Kara/Superwoman) **Hair** : Blonde
> 
>  
> 
> **HISTORY**
> 
>  
> 
> On the ill-fated planet Krypton, Zor-El was the greatest scientist in Argo City, and the creator of the weather-proof plastic dome that covered the city. When the planet exploded, Argo was hurled into space in one piece, with its atmosphere kept intact by the dome. A few years later, Zor-El’s daughter Kara was born. Unfortunately, Argo City's survival was unsustainable.
> 
>  
> 
> The ground beneath the city turned to deadly Anti-Kryptonite, and a floor of sheet lead was laid to protect the people. However, a meteor shower struck Argo City, puncturing the dome and the protective lead layer. As the situation disintegrated, Zor-El and Alura rushed to put their baby daughter into a matrix, and guide it away from the doomed space city.
> 
>  
> 
> The matrix rocketed away as Argo City died, heading towards Earth, the home of the Last Son of Krypton...young Kal-El, Zor-El's nephew and Kara's cousin.
> 
>  
> 
> The rocket landed in rural Indiana, and an Indianapolis couple - Arthur and Melissa Todd - happened to be driving through with their three-year-old daughter, Kate, looking at property Arthur had just purchased. They stopped, saw the matrix ship with a toddler secured inside, and took pity; meanwhile, the matrix was reconfiguring Kara's body and DNA to resemble the couple's daughter.
> 
>  
> 
> Somehow, Arthur was able to guide the matrix's artificial intelligence into a hiding place underneath a barn on the property, then used his connections to build a paper trail that basically allowed he and Melissa to take on the alien girl as their long lost daughter; he also prevailed upon a contact in the FBI - agent Tobias Fornell - to build a false backstory, linking her to supposed distant relatives from Italy and Serbia. They renamed her Juliana Fern Todd, and raised her as one of their own.
> 
>  
> 
> Several years later, when Julie was in middle school Kal-El revealed himself as Superman. Arthur, an attorney, traveled to Metropolis on business and reached out to the young Man of Steel, confiding in him; in turn, Kal-El - shocked, and happy to meet another Kryptonian - agreed to train young Julie in the use of her powers. At first, Superman trained to operate in secret, but eventually agreed to allow her to operate openly after the initial large wave of heroes began operating in the United States. She was part of the first version of the Teen Titans, and upon Superman's urging joined the futuristic Legion of Super-Heroes; later, after a crisis which nearly destroyed her universe and dozens of others, Kara/Julie joined Maxwell Lord's Justice League, where she is a member in good standing.
> 
>  
> 
> **POWERS & WEAPONS**
> 
>  
> 
> Kara/Julie has all of the powers of Superman, including super-strength, invulnerability, flight, super-speed, X-ray vision, heat vision, microscopic and telescopic vision, super-breath, super-ventriloquism, and a super-brain.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Green Lantern meets her Challengers of the Unknown counterpart, and discuss the other Kates and Harbinger's plans; Harbinger meets with the Monitor; Challenger Kate's team prepares to search for her.

**Chapter 3**

**The Auditorium**

 

As soon as things seemed to settle down, Harbinger appeared and dropped off another group of women, then disappeared. That in turn sparked another round of introductions and an informal tour of the auditorium.

 

Shortly after the second group arrived, volunteers began setting up a food and beverage table. As the women mingled – with some meeting the SuperPets – Green Lantern hung back for a few moments and took the measure of this group of "Leaguers".

 

One whom she hadn’t quite noticed was a blonde, dressed in a feminine version of Ralph Dibny’s Elongated Man uniform. Of course, she had his stretching powers, and Lantern hoped she had his detective skills. _Ralph and Sue are so nice,_ Lantern thought, _and smart. I wonder if this woman is as nice, and as sharp._

 

The next woman to raise Lantern’s notice, like most of the Kates, was brunette, and wore Mary Marvel's outfit, with the miniskirt.

 

She herself would have went with tights.

 

“Kate Marvel! Don’t yell SHAZAM!” she heard the Flash yell at Marvel. “You might not be able to get your powers back!”

 

“Thanks,” Kate Marvel said, in a manner more like herself than like the Mary Marvel she knew on her home Earth. Mary Marvel was, as Wally West once put it, “the vanilla ice cream to your jalapeno.” Kate didn’t get the comparison right away, but when she did it made sense; Mary Marvel was perhaps the most sweet and innocent human being Kate had ever met. Too innocent for her own good, Kate thought, but she was a very likable person.

 

Kate wondered if this ‘Kate Marvel’ person was a mixture of Wally’s vanilla ice cream and jalapenos; that would be an interesting combo.

 

 _We’ll have to figure out whether the lightning trick even works here,_ Lantern thought. _If we can get to the old wizard, that might be our ticket out._

Another woman Lantern guessed to be 19 or 20 was dressed as a Robin, with a ponytail, and the customary red/green/yellow suit, mask and tights – not those goofy speedo shorts Dick Grayson wore when he started out (Donna told Lantern that even now, the Titans still gave him grief over that outfit).

 

This Robin was looking very warily at Batwoman, who looked back while maintaining her poker face.

 

A blonde Booster Gold – calling herself Booster Kate - had already made her way to Kate Beetle, and this Booster had her own version of Skeets, Booster Gold's robot companion. And she had Tony DiNozzo and Michael Jon Carter’s personality.

 

“Ring,” Lantern whispered to her power ring. “Me with Tony’s disposition. Does that even make sense?”

 

 _In theory any number of combinations would be possible in a multiverse with infinite combinations,_ the ring stated.

 

“Thanks,” she finally said after waiting for the ring to follow up on that statement. “I hope she’s as serious when it’s time to work as Tony and Booster are goofy when we’re not on the clock. Anything else to add?”

 

_Power levels at 79.856 percent and dropping._

 

“Thanks,” Lantern said, not wanting to have to figure out how to get back to her power battery. “Least I know the first thing I’m gonna ask that Harbinger woman when she comes back.”

 

Lantern saw someone in a wheelchair moving along the back of the food table, and noticed herself in civilian clothing, ponytail, brown hair, turtleneck and glasses. An outfit she’d wear at NCIS in her civilian Kate guise. But who the heck was this woman supposed to be? And why was she talking to the female Martian Manhunter?

 

“Excuse me.”

 

Lantern felt a tapping on her shoulder; she turned, and saw yet another version of herself, wearing a purple uniform, with yellow trim that she couldn’t place.

 

“Hello,” Lantern said.

 

“You must be the Green Lantern – or our Green Lantern, I think?”

 

“I’m a Green Lantern, well, his successor, and that of the Corps,” Lantern replied. “It’s a pretty long story. I don’t think we’ve met, nor did I hear your intro.”

 

“I kinda snuck in, still shocked from when that…woman…abducted me,” the purple-uniformed Kate said. “I’m Kate Todd.”

 

“And I’m Kate Todd, Green Lantern. I’m with the Justice League,” Lantern said. “Your uniform looks familiar, but I can’t quite remember from where.”

 

“That’s okay,” the other woman replied, with a laugh. “Lots of people don’t know us…I’m with the Challengers of the Unknown.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“Yes. We’re attached to a federal agency, the Department of Extranormal Operations, and we take on threats…weird, out of left field threats, so the superheroes and the military can be freed to take on more conventional ones.”

 

“That’s where I remember the uniform from,” Lantern told her. “Where I’m from, they were four guys and one woman, and they had some really weird cases. Time travelers, monsters, killer robots…”

 

“Sounds right, as far as the threats. But my team’s bigger and perhaps more diverse.”

 

“Oh? Who are they?”

 

Challenger Kate’s teammates were her own NCIS teammates, plus Paula.

 

“That really is odd, on the surface,” Lantern said. “But not really any more odd than talking to your own doppelganger.”

 

“Nor seeing lots of them, all wearing the uniforms of the JLA,” Challenger Kate replied. “A woman who’s a half-cyborg that I don’t recognize—“

 

“I do,” Lantern said. “Her counterpart, where I’m from, is a young black man whose father was a super-genius scientist, working on some really advanced robotics. He saved his son’s life by turning him into a half man, half machine. A cyborg.”

 

“Ohmigod,” Challenger said. “How has he handled it?”

 

“Vic’s at peace with it,” Lantern replied. “Helped me with this ring; I didn’t ask for it, but he helped me to see there’s probably a greater purpose for me having it, just like he became Cyborg.”

 

Both women looked over the other Lanterns, even as Stinky the Supercat flew their way. “The woman with the high neck white sleeveless top, and neon green skin? Jade. You’ve already know the woman in Adam Strange’s outfit. And I think that girl over there in the leather jacket—“

 

“The one snapping her fingers, who looks like she’s right out of college? Tell me she’s not—“

 

“Snapper Carr,” Lantern said. “Or, Snapper Kate.”

 

Both women laughed, as Stinky flew away back towards the crowd.

 

“This Harbinger woman's thought of everything, hasn't she,” Lantern said.

 

“Almost everything,” Challenger replied. “Someone's missing...”

 

“Ohmigod,” Lantern replied. “Where are our Amazons?”

 

“Over there?” Challenger pointed to one of the windows, where Superwoman was, and both goth their answer.

 

Not one, but two Kates from the Wonder Woman branch of the JLA.

 

The first was their age, 30, wearing a uniform with a top that looked like Diana's traditional costume - including the yellow eagle/WW breastplate - and with the red, yellow and white boots. She wore blue pants with white stars down the side, however, instead of the panties Diana generally wore. Of course, Wonder Woman Kate had Diana's bracelets and lasso, and Kate Lantern wondered what kind of backstory she'd have to tell.

 

The second was younger, probably ten years younger, and wore Donna Troy's red outfit, when the team reformed in New York, a couple of years before the Crisis on Lantern’s homeworld.

 

"We need to organize, and quickly."

 

Both Lantern and Challenger were surprised by the voice of Batwoman behind them, and Challenger lost her breath.

 

“God,” Challenger said. “Don’t ever do that again.”

 

Batwoman ignored the comment. "The first step is to know who each of these people are and for them to know who we are. The next step is election of a chairperson, and I'll nominate you Green Lantern."

 

"I think we're not quite there yet, Bats," Lantern replied.

 

"We have to be. I suspect when Harbinger returns, it will be to organize us into whatever battle of hers she wants us to fight,” Batwoman followed. “And if there isn't a leader amongst us, she will choose herself. And that is not in our best interest."

 

"You don't trust her?" Lantern asked.

 

"I do not. You do?" Batwoman retorted.

 

"Nope." Challenger Kate interjected. “She may have my face but she definitely is not me. I trust the Lantern a lot more. Hell, Batlady, I trust you a lot more. I don’t trust that Harbinger woman one bit.”

 

Next to the window. Wonder Woman Kate was speaking with Superwoman; the Woman of Steel appeared to the trio to be uncertain about something, then saw them, and then glanced back and forth between the Amazon and the trio.

 

The glances got the Amazon's attention, and both began making their way towards the trio.

 

"You might have some competition already, Lantern," BatKate said. "I suggest you step forward quickly."

 

“Not until I find out who our ‘Wonder Woman’ is,” Lantern replied, with Challenger following in step; Batwoman followed a few steps behind, noting how the rest of the women – and the Super Pets – stopped their conversations to look on.

 

**The Monitor’s lair**

 

Harbinger stood, hovering as per her custom, before the man she considered her mentor and friend.

 

"Monitor. I have assembled them, as many as I can find across the multitude of universes."

 

The Monitor looked out the large screen at the vastness of space, and took a sip of his coffee.

 

"You think they'll be enough, Kate?" he said to his protege. "You got any more to call on if you need help?"

 

"I can, Monitor," Harbinger replied. "I am preparing to fetch four more - Lady Quark, from the unified Earth; the giant woman from the Doom Patrol; the woman with the Blackhawks; and the woman from Earth-144, the Air Force captain given the power of the atom. There are issues, as you know, with reaching Earth-616. There are other superheroes who will take more time to gather, time I am afraid we no longer have.”

 

“Any other Kates closer to ‘home’ you can get faster?”

 

“The other doppelgangers are depowered, and acting as NCIS or Secret Service agents, or FBI profilers," Harbinger said. “Of course most of those worlds have heroes of their own—“

 

“Can’t do that,” the Monitor replied. “You contact their Justice Leagues, Supermen, Batmen, Wonder Women, we’ll get the attention of the other Monitors. That’s when this thing gets shut down and you better believe they’ll try.”

 

The Monitor turned away from the screen, towards the vessel he was building with the name of his beloved.

 

"Just make sure you get the bastard," he ordered her. "They should have enough power to take him out. Kate, if they don't, and his people win--"

 

"I understand. It opens the door for the far greater threat."

 

"And...Kate...order your people to shoot first and ask questions later."

 

"Yes, Monitor."

 

**Earth-205**

 

Leroy Jethro Gibbs, the Special Agent in Charge of the Major Case Response Team of the DEO’s Challengers of the Unknown program, was on a rampage.

 

He ran full sprint through every hallway in the complex, yelling out orders, while telling his team to break down every second of surveillance footage.

 

He pushed open the door into the forensics lab, slowing down enough that he didn't run over Abby Sciuto.

 

"Abs. You got a lead on that thing?" he yelled, frantically; Abby knew he was out of his mind over that red-and-blue garbed woman who had Kate's face, rambled on about a threat to all of reality, then kidnapped Kate right in front of them. All they had was a trace of a cosmic something or another, and only Abs and McGee had any clue as to what it was.

 

Right now, Abby should be working, but she was freaked out over her boss's demeanor.

 

Fortunately for them both, that was the moment McGee rushed into the laboratory. He excused himself, and began frantically typing coding onto the screen.

 

"McGee?" Abby blurted.

 

"MCGEE! That better be helping us find Kate—" Gibbs yelled, and McGee ignored him.

 

"Just a second boss...Abby. What we discussed...Abs!"

 

"You mean...yeah...yeah! Sample's still in Major Mass Spec!"

 

Abby ran a sample of a spectral trace, something that Gibbs had no idea existed, and this time he restrained himself, regaining control over his emotions. He hadn't lost his mind like this since Shannon and Kelly died, and he knew he would have a lot of apologizing to do to his team.

 

Which would have to wait until they found Kate and her kidnapper.

 

McGee and Abby began explaining their findings to Gibbs, which sounded like so much technobabble.

 

"In English, McGee," he said, more calmly.

 

"Boss. Every bit of matter from a universe has a unique vibrational pattern; a rock, fabric, food, liquid, have the same pattern," McGee quickly explained.

 

"Meaning what?" Gibbs replied.

 

"Meaning if we can track the pattern within the trail that crazy woman left, we can find Kate," Abby said. "That woman left a trail behind her, and it's still there, but fading. We need to get to the ship now to track it--"

 

"--and I know how to do just that," McGee said, downloading the last of his coding into his smart device. "I told Tony to get the ship ready but he blew me off, Boss. We gotta go now."

 

"I'll take care of DiNozzo," Gibbs said. "You both, grab your gear, find Ducky and Palmer, get them on board."

 

Both ran out of the lab towards the medical examiner's office, while Gibbs headed for the garage, punching in Tony's number.

 

"DiNozzo. Where in hell are you?"

 

"Looking at that cosmic line trail thing, Boss, and poking--"

 

"Don't touch it another SECOND, DiNozzo! Where's Ziva and Cassidy?"

 

"With me, Boss."

 

"If you're not in the pilot's seat on that ship, DiNozzo, and it's not fired up and ready when I get there, I'll kick your ass from here to Skartaris and back. And make sure you three have your gear."

 

Gibbs hung up before DiNozzo could answer.

 

He had no idea who had taken Kate, but he sure wasn't going to leave her to fend for herself.

 

As well as they individually had been trained to face the strange threats they came across, the Challengers of the Unknown were a team, a family. And as long as Leroy Jethro Gibbs ran the team, no one would be left behind.

 

**BATWOMAN (Caitlin Rose Todd) of Earth-116**

**PERSONAL DATA**

 

 **Alter Ego** : Caitlin Rose Todd

 **Occupation** : investigator, WayneTech

 **Marital Status** : Single

 **Known Relatives** : identical to Superwoman and Green Lantern, except they are all deceased

 **Known Associates:** Bruce Wayne (Batman), Dick Grayson (Nightwing, Robin), Alfred Pennyworth, Barbara Gordon (Oracle, formerly Batgirl), Tim Drake (Robin), Ziva (Wonder Girl), Tony DiNozzo (Arsenal), Abby Sciuto (Raven), Tim McGee (Jericho), Sam Hanna (Cyborg), Marty Deeks (Beast Boy)

 **Group Affiliation** : Titans (current associate member)

 **Base of Operations** : Gotham City, New Troy, USA

 **Height** : 5’7” **Weight** : 130 lbs.

 **Eyes** : Hazel **Hair** : Brown

 

**HISTORY**

 

Kate's family moved from Indianapolis to Gotham City when Arthur Todd, the patriarch, was given a position in a prestigious law firm he could not refuse. The Todds became one of the city's more prestigious upper-middle class families, and the children pursued good careers.

 

Kate graduated from Gotham University with a degree in criminology and was considering a career in the Secret Service.

 

Fate intervened, when she and her family were celebrating an afternoon together at a Gotham restaurant. The Joker, whose real name is Ari Haswari, appeared in the restaurant and proceeded to murder almost everyone in the building. Kate fought valiantly, but would have succumbed had Batman and his ward Robin, and Justice Leaguers Green Arrow, Black Canary and Cyborg not shown up to stop Joker's rampage.

 

Kate wanted vengeance, and Batman - Bruce Wayne - heard her out, offering to help her through her loss and properly train her. He went too hard initially, leading Leaguer Sergeant Steel - Leroy Jethro Gibbs - to confront him. Gibbs took over Kate's training, and put her with the Titans. At 25, Kate was their age, and she quickly developed friendships with Nightwing (Dick Grayson), Wonder Girl (Ziva) and Arsenal (Tony DiNozzo).

 

A month after joining them, she was rocked when the League found Gibbs, killed by a single bullet to the forehead. Joker had killed him.

 

While the League and every federal agency tried to apprehend Joker, Kate was targeted by someone seeking to use her to draw out Joker (his father, Mossad director Eli David) and someone seeking to draw out the League (Suicide Squad director Amanda Waller). Kate also was the subject of investigations by the Department of Extranormal Operations and its director, Jennifer Shepard, and was stalked by supervillainness Poison Ivy.

 

Eventually, Batman captured Joker, who was sentenced to life without parole for the murder of Gibbs (and seems to have been sprung by an unknown entity wearing Lex Luthor's famed purple armor). Waller and her Suicide Squad were shut down; Shepard terminated from her position due to abuse; and Ivy sent to Arkham Asylum for psychiatric treatment.

 

Batman once again took on the role of mentor and trainer for Kate, this time tempering his methods and approach, and becoming a father figure of sorts to her in the process. She decided to take on the mantle of the Batwoman, modeling her uniform after Bruce's while wearing steel flexarmor, in honor of her other mentor, Gibbs.

 

**POWERS & WEAPONS**

 

Kate has no permanent superpowers, but is a skilled hand-to-hand combatant and is an Olympic-level athlete. She also is a very competent investigator, trained by Bruce Wayne and Ralph Dibny, the Elongated Man. She relies on her intelligence, intuition and training when in the field, but has a wide array of tools available in her utility belt.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Challengers set off to find their own Kate - and come across a ship like none they’ve encountered before in orbit around an alternate Earth; on that ship, Superwoman, Batwoman and Green Lantern discuss the possible threats they’ve been gathered to fight. On the other side of that Earth, a group of villains gather - one resembling Kate, all others Ari Haswari. And in Lantern’s home reality, her JLA teammates prepare to search for her.

**Earth-205**

**Challengers Mountain**

 

Jennifer Shepard, the Director of the Department of Extranormal Operations, stood on the bridge of the Challengers of the Unknown’s ship, the _Shannon and Kelly_.

 

"Jethro! You do NOT have permission to depart. I _have_ to clear this with the Multiversal Authority," she said. “Remember Scorpio?”

 

Neither Gibbs nor the rest of his team could’ve cared less.

 

"Not asking for permission, Jen," said Gibbs, as he strapped himself into his seat, then turned to his left. "McGee, Abby. Do you still have a trace on that thing?"

 

"Barely, Boss, but we can still trace it if we don't wait," said Tim McGee.

 

Jenny put her hands on Gibbs’ chair, and looked him dead in the eyes. “I know this ship can fly anywhere on Earth, around Earth, to the moon, even to another dimension. I can _not_ allow you to take off without at least talking to Agent Lockwood—“

 

"I'm not waiting around for you to cut thru red tape, and if you're not off in ten seconds, find a seat," Gibbs said. "DiNozzo. Ziva. Let's go."

 

"On it boss," said Tony, the ship's lead pilot. "On it, Gibbs," said co-pilot Ziva.

 

Jenny threw her hands up, and tore off her coat, revealing the same purple with yellow trim uniform the other Challengers wore. "I told Cynthia to hold my calls the rest of the week, and besides, Jethro, I figured your team might need the help."

 

Gibbs smiled.

 

The Shannon and Kelly launched inside the spacious garage, but instead of flying out the door, away from Challengers Mountain, the ship disappeared into another dimension, and soon found its target.

 

**Earth-222**

**The Justice League of America’s Watchtower lunar headquarters**

 

Although only one of its members knew the reason at the moment, the Justice League of America was on high alert.

 

"Would you like to enlighten us as to the nature of this alert, Bruce? Or are we supposed to find out along the way?" asked Diana, Princess of Themyscria - Wonder Woman - to the back of the Batman's head.

 

All of the Leaguers, save one, were assembled, and taking their seats in the Watchtower's conference room.

 

"Hey, where's Kate," asked Wally West, the Flash. "Donna can't reach her."

 

"She wouldn't be able to, Flash," replied the Batman, aka Bruce Wayne. "Caitlin's been abducted."

 

Everyone in the room paused, except for Batman, who continued working on calculations on his laptop.

 

"Just casually drop that on us, whydontcha, Bats?" yelled Eel O'Brien, the Plastic Man. "Mind telling us if she's alive or dead and how we find her?"

 

"Plastic Man, please," interjected the League's chairperson, Clark Kent, Superman. "Bruce. What do you know and when and how do we act."

 

Batman ignored him and the others. Explaining things took time, and time was a luxury not even the billionaire could afford.

 

**Earth-223**

**The Dark Carrier, in orbit somewhere over the Mediterranean**

 

Katelyn Todd tossed her light blonde hair back, then reached over and poured herself a glass of wine.

 

She pulled herself up in the king-sized bed and took a few sips, while her lover swiped through files on his tablet.

 

"My love, can't you relax just a little bit?" she cooed. "I threw that thing across the room when we were enjoying ourselves. How did you--"

 

"After you fell asleep," he said. "Now put your uniform on."

 

"Ohhh, I like it when men boss me around...well, when Thomas bosses me around. Clark, that damned brute, I despise," Katelyn said, seething at the mention of "Clark". "We doing roleplay, sexy? At least comb your hair before we go see the boys."

 

Ari Luthor was already putting on his armor. "I said, put your uniform on...if you're concerned, none of the other Syndicate members will pose any problem for us."

 

"I could care less about them," said Katelyn Todd, a.k.a Superwoman, a member of the Crime Syndicate of Amerika of Earth-323. "Clark's losing his mind, of course, because he can't mate with me. IF Thomas decided to humor him by sending them to look for me, there's an army of psychopaths - all with your beautiful face, love - they'd have to kill."

 

"We have a mission, Superwoman," Ari Luthor replied, as he headed towards the door of their bedroom. "Now, come."

 

Katelyn laughed, in her way that was both charming and disconcerting to Ari.

 

He quickly brushed it off, hoping that the psychopaths downstairs hadn't already done the Syndicate's jobs for him.

 

**The Carrier**

**Earth-223, in orbit above Guam**

 

Harbinger continued to ‘drop off’ other heroines, specifically:

 

* Dove, the peace-loving yin to the yang of her partner, Hawk (Leroy Jethro Gibbs)

 

* Kate Kent, taken from the newsroom of the Daily Planet of a Metropolis from Earth-207, who first insisted she had no powers. Then, pressed by Harbinger, she tapped on her wedding ring, which produced a red-and-blue uniform which had the classic 'S' shield, and gave her a limited range of her husband's power set.

 

* Another Kate Todd, who on Earth-401 survived Ari's assassination attempt and went on to become a co-Senior Field Agent under Gibbs at NCIS, and had the metahuman ability to become completely immaterial, which she developed as a teenager. She was a contemporary of Clark Kent (Superboy), Lana Lang (Insect Queen) and Pete Ross in Smallville, Indiana, and with them had adventures in the future, as members of the Legion of Super-Heroes.

 

* Black Orchid of Earth-108, a woman with a mysterious past

 

* A woman from Earth-501 calling herself Caitlin Rose Todd who had a split personality - one was a special agent, the other a super-heroine named the Thorn

 

* The oldest woman in the group, a mid-40ish Kate from Earth-422 with telepathic abilities Harbinger said were 'second to none', allied with an older Superman and his faction as part a burgeoning global metahuman conflict on her Earth

 

* And a young, 19-year-old Kate, from Earth-416, whom wore a black T-shirt with the S symbol in red, and possessed tactile telekinesis. She called herself Supergirl, and kept referencing the death of Superman, an event foreign to all but two of the Kates: Green Lantern and Batwoman.

 

As the newest Kates were introduced to the group, Lantern, Batwoman and Superwoman pulled off to the side.

 

"That lady's going to bring in an army," Superwoman said. "Why us? Why not, like, the ultimate Justice League? And who's this threat she keeps talking about?"

 

Lantern and Batwoman spoke simultaneously.

 

Lantern: "Ari."

 

Batwoman: "Darkseid."

 

Superwoman and Lantern had never heard that name before, and Batwoman could tell it from their expressions.

 

"Darkseid," she told them, "and his minions are the embodiment of evil. They nearly destroyed my Earth. And their threat renders that of a team of Ari’s irrelevant in comparison."

 

**Earth-223, North America**

 

The _Shannon and Kelly_ appeared outside a version of the Colorado mountain where the Challengers had their headquarters.

 

However, there were no signs of human habitation for miles. Gibbs had Tony and Ziva fly the ship over Denver, and what they found was an abandoned, half-destroyed city. While there were numerous signs of life in Boulder, Fort Collins and Cheyenne, Jenny suggested staying away from those areas.

 

Gibbs ordered his pilots to pick up the energy pattern left by Harbinger, which was stronger and more easily traceable in this reality. McGee and Abby were able to lock in on the pattern, which led away from the mountain into space.

 

"Gibbs, the pattern leads directly to a space station of some kind," Abby said. "I've got our two long-range cameras focused on it, but I'm not seeing much."

 

"Get us up there, DiNozzo, Ziva," ordered Gibbs; the ship left the atmosphere and climbed to an altitude of 22,300 miles above the Rockies - and saw the pattern disappear into a gigantic spaceship unlike anything they had ever seen.

 

"And we've seen pretty much everything," said Paula Cassidy. "That thing has to be as big as a city."

 

McGee - running long-range scans on the ship - was wide-eyed at the data coming from the scan.

 

"McGee!" Gibbs barked. "Whatcha got???"

 

"Boss, that...thing's...50 miles wide, 35 miles high, two miles across. Not stories. MILES," McGee said, looking back and forth between the ship outside the bridge's main viewscreen and his data. "The energy pattern seems to disappear in that...thing's...eyes?"

 

"It does look like a mask. Or a helmet," Ziva observed.

 

"What do you want to do, Boss?" Tony asked. "You want to park us in orbit?"

 

Jenny Shepard listened intently, hoping Gibbs made the choices she herself would have. So far, he had.

 

"Look for a way in," Gibbs said, more frantic than he wanted to let on. Jenny unbuckled her seatbelt, and jumped out of her chair, running towards Gibbs.

 

"Mr. DiNozzo, belay that order. Maintain orbit at two miles," she barked, causing Gibbs to turn his chair around to face her, and she saw how pissed he was.

 

**The dark Carrier**

 

Superwoman Katelyn looked down on the assemblage of beings gathered around the conference table, and matched them to the superheroes from her world.

 

"Light - though shouldn't that guy be Dr. Dark? - Zoom, a male Ivy, a Riddler, Captain Cold, Manta, Bane, Sinestro. You found a Bizarro. And of course you would have a Joker," she said to Ari Luthor. "Surely, those brutes should be able to do more than scribble their names on a nametag. They do have your gorgeous face, and I do hope they have some of your brains."

 

Ari Luthor looked up from his notepad and smirked. "None of them 'have my brains' as you put it," he said, dismissively. "Some are mere muscle, some are tools. Some are fairly intelligent."

 

"And a potential threat to you," she said.

 

"None of them are a potential threat to me," Ari Luthor continued. "I have prevailed against all threats on my home world. Even the Batman."

 

"So _far_."

 

"Do not push me, woman."

 

"Oooooo...I _like_ that. What a turn-on."

 

Ari Luthor grabbed Superwoman by her wrists.

 

"I will do to Superman what my predecessor wasn't sufficient enough to do," he said, menacingly. "I will make Kal-El beg for his life. I will unmask the Batman and show his face to the entire world. I will dance on the graves of the Amazons. And I will drink their blood with the skulls of the Atlanteans, and place their capes and belts and rings in my trophy room."

 

"You taxidermied the bodies of Gibbs and his team, including the one with my face," Superwoman told him. "IF you had any ideas about doing that to me, you're wasting your time."

 

"Oh don't worry, my dear," he said. "I have plans for you."

 

"They better be good ones," she retorted. "Besides, you need me to get the Syndicate..."

 

Ari Luthor let Superwoman babble on, tuning her out while he took stock of the rabble below. He may be able to trust Deadshot, Bane and Sinestro, and if he could find the right mix of drugs, the Joker. The rest - Superwoman included - could as easily turn on him as they could rip apart Harbinger's team...or get ripped apart BY Harbinger's team.

 

Perhaps he should swallow his pride and prevail upon his own world's Justice League for help -- no, he decided. He is Ari Luthor, his intelligence and ingenuity is more than sufficient, and he will find a way to prevail, and all will have no choice but to follow him as the savior of humanity.

 

Meanwhile, Superwoman was looking over the meat market below, silently cursing Ari for not bringing in a Harley Quinn or a Cheetah, and thinking that the Joker might be fun in bed...


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ari Luthor and Superwoman Katelyn discuss their plans for taking on Darkseid, and Katelyn considers her feelings for Luthor; Gibbs is ordered by Jenny to pull the Challengers' ship away from the Carrier; and the Kates prepare for a collision.

**Chapter 5**

**The Carrier, above Earth-223**

 

Harbinger still had not returned. If nothing else, though, the women's wait wouldn't lack for refreshment.

 

Every possible combination of food and drink that was acceptable to each woman appeared on a series of tables; someone found the water fountains, someone else the kitchen, and perhaps most importantly, someone found the restrooms.

 

"One for each of us; the architects _definitely_ must have been women," quipped the group's Green Arrow, Kate Queen.

 

There was a general sense that now was the time to eat, and take care of personal business, so the women collectively filled their plates, gathered in small groups, and got to know one another.

 

There were one or two, however, who had to be dragged away from their hiding places.

 

"You're not getting away _that_ easily," Lantern said to Batwoman, nearly unseen up in one of the corners of the vast room in the space station they all had been sent to. "I got you a plate, and water."

 

The meal consisted of vegetables, brown rice, grilled chicken and fruit, along with two glass bottles of water.

 

"It seems our host is environmentally astute," Batwoman observed. "The bottles, the tray, these utensils, are all biodegradable--"

 

"-- _and_ keeping the food hot and the water cold," said Lantern, taking a drink of her coffee, then a bite from her sesame chicken dish. "You better eat up, Bats. We have no real idea when that woman is going to return and start barking orders."

 

Batwoman looked down at the varied groups. Superwoman was making her way around each one, but had avoided the one led by the Wonder Woman analogue. Another group included the Robin and Huntress analogues, all looking upwards towards Batwoman and Lantern; they split away, and began making their way towards them.

 

"Ohmigod. They're gonna _climb_ up here," Lantern said, before conjuring up a staircase with her power ring, which both Robin and Huntress declined.

 

"It would surprise me if they weren't trained to rest, or watch in out of the way corners like this," Batwoman replied.

 

"Is _that_ what you call resting?"

 

"Watching," Bats said, as the Robin and Huntress analogues threw their grappling hooks onto a nearby pipe.

 

"I'll leave you be," Lantern said. "But you better finish your meal. And I _will_ catch up with you later."

 

Lantern flew away, looking at the different groups and deciding which one to introduce herself to. She chose the one led by the Zatanna analogue, which also included a Madame Xanadu, a Black Orchid and a Swamp Thing, and ignored the message sent by her power ring: _full charge down to 75 percent, 18 hours remaining._

 

**The Dark Carrier, on the other side of Earth-223**

 

Ari Luthor, supremely self-confident as he was, found his ability to organize a Secret Society of his doppelgangers into an orderly unit supremely tested.

 

Still, he thought he had managed to do so, and told himself it would come in handy when it came time to organize his world's politicians against the Justice League...or the world leaders and the JLA against the far greater threat that concerned him.

 

"Worried about Dar--" Superwoman interjected, only to be silenced by Ari Luthor's hand clamped over her mouth.

 

"Do not say his name," Luthor ordered her. "He may have agents here. We are not yet ready to take on his threat."

 

"I think you undersell yourself...yourselves," Superwoman replied, looking out at the more-or-less orderly rabble of Aris in the room below them. "You could invade Hades itself and probably send satan whining to god below for relief."

 

"You believe in those fairy tales if you wish."

 

"I believe," she said, putting her lips next to his ear, "in _myself_."

 

She licked his earlobe, momentarily causing Luthor to loosen his concentration.

 

" _That's_ my Ari. I knew I'd get a...rise out of you. Somehow."

 

Ari Luthor quickly regained full control of his concentration.

 

"If we are to 'invade Hades' as you put it,” he said. “I will need the full Syndicate, and most of the men down below. That means our casualty rate in this engagement has to be at or near zero."

 

Superwoman rolled her eyes; Ari Luthor was now completely focused on business. She'd have to get her kicks elsewhere, at least this time around.

 

"Don't worry about the Syndicate," she said, switching into 'cold bitch' mode. "You did me a favor by removing me from that Ultra psychopath. I owe you a favor. You're aware how the favor bank works, right? You'll get the Syndicate."

 

Ari glared at her to remind her of her place, and who was in charge.

 

"Of _course_ I know about your favor bank; it's why I chose you, and not the alien, nor the drug addicts," he said, cooly. "You deliver the Syndicate. When we finish the next engagement - and secure both of our homeworlds - I will show how generosity is not weakness, but useful."

 

Superwoman looked at him as if he had abruptly gone insane.

 

"You're _very_ close to sounding like the Luthor from my world; what in hell above is _wrong_ with you? You of all people should embrace my philosophy--"

 

"I said _useful_ , woman, not strength," he said. "I can make it so that Kal-Ul, Clark, whoever he is, no longer poses any threat to you whatsoever...unless you prefer being terrorized by him as long as he has use for you."

 

"I could snap your neck, human," Superwoman shot back, “but for so many reasons I won’t.”

 

She turned around, and poured herself a glass from the last bottle of Skatarian red wine Owlman had secured for her during one of the Syndicate’s battles. Thomas - as much as he, like herself, hated the Maniac of Steel - wouldn't go so far as to kill Ultraman.

 

Ari Luthor would.

 

Thomas was endlessly fascinated by human psychology. Katelyn generally didn’t care one way or the other, although she knew he’d be intrigued by her mood swings regarding Ari Luthor.

 

Lust and contempt.

 

Love and hatred.

 

All for an alternate version of her world’s Ari David, a noble man in a ruthless world, whom Katelyn both despised and desired. Whom she ruthlessly murdered during one of the Syndicate’s battles with the U.S. Army and Alexander Luthor’s Legion of Hope, after Ultraman dared to accuse her of becoming soft.

 

Luthor, she had to admit, was Ari David with brains and without that damned inconvenience of a conscience. After she got done here, Katelyn might take him back to her Earth to spice things up a bit.

 

If Superwoman didn't kill him first.

 

**Over Earth-223**

 

On board the _Shannon and Kelly_ , the leader of the Challengers of the Unknown and his director were in a standoff, glaring at one another.

 

"Follow the trail, DiNozzo," shouted Gibbs to his pilot, Tony.

 

"Belay that order Mr. DiNozzo; maintain current position," countered Jenny.

 

Almost everyone else stared at them, shocked; Abby Sciuto stared, then began to cry.

 

"Gibbs...Jenny...if we don't follow that trail we're going to lose Kate. Forever," she said, tears falling down her cheeks. "It's getting weaker."

 

Gibbs turned to his right, looking at Abby, while Jenny continued to glare at Gibbs.

 

"She's right, boss," McGee said. "We can't stay here and track that energy trail. We need...we needed to be following it already--"

 

"DiNozzo. Ziva. Follow it. NOW," Gibbs barked, turning to his left towards his pilots. "As fast as you can--"

 

"I. SAID. WAIT," Jenny shouted towards the pilots. "We do NOT know what we are orbiting--"

 

The counterorders were rendered moot as the Shannon and Kelly was abruptly grabbed by a tractor beam from the Carrier, causing the bridge to shudder and Gibbs and Jenny to nearly lose their footing.

 

"Gibbs," Ziva said, as red alert alarms began to ring throughout the ship, and Gibbs grabbed Jenny to keep her from falling. "We have lost control of the ship...it is if--"

 

"--a tractor beam got a hold of us," McGee interjected. "We're being pulled towards that spaceship on a path that parallels the energy trail."

 

"Boss, we're moving _fast_ , lightning fast," Tony said, wide-eyed over the readings on his instruments. "We're going...holy crap readouts state two thousand interstellar knots per hour--"

 

"We are closing in on that... _thing_ , Gibbs," Ziva added.

 

"This can't be a coincidence," Jenny said, strapping herself into her seat.

 

"Rule 39, Jen," Gibbs said, looking back at her, before turning his attention towards the main viewscreen. "DiNozzo, Ziva, try to regain control of the ship."

 

"Instruments non responsive, boss--" Tony said.

 

"Actually, boss," McGee interrupted. "We can still move, but only within the parameters of the force field."

 

Jenny swiveled her chair towards McGee. "Force field?"

 

"Director, we're encased in a force field. It's covering us like a bubble--"

 

Gibbs looked over his shoulder towards his junior agent. "How strong is this 'bubble' McGee? We're heading into that thing fast--"

 

"Boss we're about to find out," Tony interjected. The viewscreen showed the station closing in quickly. "Boss...I think we've got seconds to make--"

 

"Strap yourselves in, brace for impact!" Gibbs barked, as the _Shannon and Kelly_ made contact with the mysterious, and gigantic, Carrier orbiting Earth-223.

 

Gibbs said a prayer, his first in a long while, that the Almighty would see fit to allow him to see Kate, alive, at least one more time on this side of eternity.

 

**Aboard the Carrier**

 

Lantern looked upwards at the ceiling, and asked herself how she could have overlooked the gigantic beetle-like ship parked at the top of the gigantic room she and the other Kates were in.

 

She quickly rationalized it as being due to the number of her doppelgangers who just happened to be super heroes. Women like the Blue Beetle analogue in front of her, who was on the verge of tears.

 

"The, the Gray Man...had Tony--er, Booster Gold, when she kidnapped me," Blue Beetle said, trying not to break down. "Tony disappeared...he sent Skeets away to help me, he thought the Gray Man was hurting me--"

 

" _Caitlin. As I understand from what we were told by Harbinger, we will be returned to the exact moment we left our own reality._ "

 

The yellow and blue robot/ship hovering next to Beetle wasn't the one Lantern knew, but she knew a Skeets when she saw one.

 

"Skeets is right," Lantern replied, wondering who this Gray Man in Beetle's reality was. "If I can, I'll help you fight this guy, and rescue your teammates. I promise."

 

"You...will?"

 

Lantern nodded her head, and embraced Beetle in a hug.

 

"Thank you," Beetle replied, after breaking the embrace. "Tony...as crazy and goofy as he can be, I really care about him and don't know what I'd...do without him. And hate leaving him there by himself--"

 

As Lantern tried to comfort Beetle, some of the other Kates became agitated, causing both women (and Skeets) to take notice. They began to make their way towards the source of the disturbance, only to be cut off by a Kate dressed in the uniform of the Challengers of the Unknown.

 

"Green Lantern?" Challenger Kate asked, then proceeding after Lantern nodded in acknowledgement. "Some of the women - the ones called Zatanna, Doctor Fate and Dream Girl - are talking like some kind of vehicle is headed our way. Superwoman's trying to run a scan, but she can't see outside this room, and can only use her telescopic vision to look outside the windows."

 

"And you want me to scan with my ring," Lantern said, as Challenger Kate nodded. Lantern did so, while giving Beetle a lift back up to her ship, where she and Skeets would attempt to scan for any incoming vessel.

 

A couple of minutes later, a slight ping began going off in Challenger Kate's pocket; she pulled out a smartphone-like device.

 

"It's a mini-computer, with a responsometer built in," she explained to Lantern, Batwoman and others who had gathered around. "It allows me to keep connected to my teammates when we get split, over long distances. It shouldn't be going off, since Harbinger only abducted me--"

 

"But it _is_ ," Batwoman observed. "How far can you track someone with this type of device before losing their signal?"

 

"Over clear, and flat distances, one-on-one, a mile," she said. "With repeaters, up to 20 between two devices. But this shouldn't be going off."

 

"It could be a trap," Huntress said. "We should prepare accordingly."

 

"Or...is it possible your team may have found you?" Lantern asked.

 

"We've had some pretty strange and wild cases, so I suppose anything's possible," Challenger Kate replied, hoping somehow it was her team. And its - and her - leader.

 

"If anything happened to one of us, I know Gibbs would do what it took to find us."

 

They were interrupted by the Dream Girl analogue.

 

"Kate," she said to Challenger Kate. "What does your ship look like?"

 

Challenge Kate briefly gave a description of the Shannon and Kelly.

 

"Ohmigods. That's what I saw. Thank gods it's not Ari and the Fatal Five...grife, if that's your ship I dreamed of...they may be the ones on the way."

 

Superwoman and the SuperPets flew over to their position. "My, our, super hearing's picking up something big, and getting louder," she told them, urgently. "I still can't see outside those walls, but I hear it--"

 

"My ring's indicating something, too," Lantern interjected. "Something, same size as Challenger Kate's ship. Getting closer...you guys hear something?"

 

"A rumbling," Batwoman said. "Estimated impact, Lantern?"

 

"Any time," Lantern replied.

 

Wonder Woman, overhearing the conversat ion, decided to order the other Kates to the opposite side of the room. "Retreat to the safe corner, and quickly!...Lantern. Use your ring to build a shield for us, and if possible, for the Beetle ship above."

 

"Thanks for the suggestion," Lantern replied, as everyone began moving back.

 

Before they could get into position, however, the far wall exploded.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Challengers' ship, the Shannon and Kelly, is breached by an unknown, potentially hostile humanoid as the ship zips through the Carrier.

**Chapter 6**

**onboard the Shannon and Kelly**

 

As his ship sped headlong into the Carrier orbiting the alternate Earth, Gibbs locked himself into his captain's chair, gritting his teeth.

 

There was no way to break the tractor beam dragging his ship towards the eye of the strange spacecraft, and no time to send his people to his ship's twin lifeboats.

 

He couldn't save his people, but at least he could look death in the eye.

 

"Sorry," he said, two seconds before impact.

 

Despite himself, he closed his eyes just as the Shannon and Kelly breached the eye.

 

"Dammit," he muttered, opening his eyes quickly, noting that the bridge – and the rest of the ship – was intact and its inhabitants alive and well.

 

“DiNozzo! Status report!”

 

“Ship holding steady, boss. Still in the tractor beam or whatever it is.”

 

Gibbs looked at the viewscreen, seeing the walls of a gigantic, seemingly endless corridor zipping past.

 

"We are still in the tractor beam," Ziva yelled. "Comm is operational, but nonresponsive."

 

"Nonresponsive?" yelled Jenny. "Can we break loose? Shoot our way out? Can we do anything?"

 

Tony turned around, facing Jenny and Gibbs. "What she's saying is we can't do a single thing. We're at that thing's mercy."

 

"Then where is it taking us?" Jenny replied, turning towards Abby and McGee. "Agent McGee, Agent Sciuto--"

 

McGee's monitors began going haywire, returning to normal moments later, except for two specific details.

 

"Boss," he said excitedly, "cameras are out. But the sensors are showing a single humanoid...on top of the ship..."

 

Everyone else waited for McGee to elaborate, but he merely stammered. "On top...this shouldn't even be...we're at 400 knots...atmospheric pressure outside consistent with that of a hallway...no one should be able to--"

 

"MCGEE!!! ENGLISH!!!" Gibbs yelled, trying to shake McGee out of his funk.

 

It worked.

 

"Sorry, boss," he replied. "There's someone on top of the ship. We're going so fast she'd have to be Superman or Supergirl to survive--"

 

Gibbs unbuckled his seatbelt and - over Ducky and Jenny's objections - left his chair and ran over to McGee, looking over his shoulder. "Well, McGee? Is it Superman or Supergirl or who the hell is it???...Abby! McGee!...gimme an answer!"

 

Looking over her own instruments, Abby compared notes with McGee; they both saw the same thing - humanoid female on top of the ship. Then their instruments showed the female entering into the ship.

 

"Details!" Gibbs barked.

 

"The humanoid, whatever she is, is in the cargo bay," Abby said. "No sign of any hole in the ship, it's like she melded her way through...she's moving slowly...she's left the cargo bay, she's in the hallway...headed toward the bridge. "

 

"How is that possible, Agent Sciuto???" Jenny said, even as she - and everyone else - were checking their weapons. "Are you certain about this? Could your instruments be giving you false readings?"

 

"Anything's possible, director," McGee replied, "but I'm sure our sensors are accurate."

 

McGee unbuckled his belt as everyone else was doing - regulations stated when anyone or anything invaded the ship, all personnel were to take defensive positions. Or, as explained by Gibbs' Rule 59: 'don't strap yourself in and wait for the hostiles to blow your ass up'.

 

"Sensors show this...woman...landed in the cargo bay and is headed for us," Abby said, looking at her auxilary monitor from her position, crouching right behind McGee, her phase P229 pistol locked and loaded. "Gibbs...sensors are going crazy."

 

"Crazy?" Gibbs said, looking back and forth between her, the rear hatch and the front viewscreen, where Tony still manned the comm. "Are the sensors right or wrong?"

 

"Someone's there, boss," McGee said.

 

"What do you mean by crazy, then?" Gibbs.

 

"They're saying...that person walking toward the hatch...is Kate." Abby said, as everyone turned towards her.

 

Gibbs ran to Abby, looking at her monitor over her shoulder. "The readings...her body type, height, weight...they're not saying it's her, but they're saying it resembles her," Abby said.

 

"Whatever she is, she's 10 feet away and closing," McGee said. "She, it, it's gonna knock on the door or breach it in seconds--"

 

"Then get in position!" Gibbs said. "Fire on my mark!"

 

"Gibbs!" Abby protested. "If that's Kate we can't fire on her! We'll kill her! Gibbs, please--"

 

Gibbs shot her a 'shut up and do as I say' glare, and held it, even as she gave him a pleading look.

 

There was a noise, on the other side of the latch. Whomever was there, was going to open it, one way or the other. And Gibbs would be ready.

 

"Everyone" - he said, looking at Abby and holding it an extra second - "fire. On my mark."

 

He heard 'yes boss' from everyone – even Abby – other than Jenny, who nodded her assent. Everyone aimed their P229s at the hatch - including Tony, who had one eye on the hatch and another on the comm.

 

Moments later, the hatch breached, kicked in from the other side; the first thing anyone noticed was a female, covered head to toe in liquid metal, calmly walking through.

 

The next was alarms going off throughout the bridge.

 

"BOSS!" Tony yelled, as Ziva ran back to her seat, one eye on the female and her own weapon drawn. "Sensors are showing a wall, right in our path--we'll be on it in 15 seconds, 14, 13--"

 

The female stopped.

 

"Identify yourself!" Gibbs barked. She ignored him. She looked just like Kate.

 

Then Gibbs, Abby and everyone else found themselves encased in liquid metal and thrown back into their seats. Gibbs struggled, but found himself unable to move.

 

He could hear and see everything and everyone around him, though.

 

"I am the Engineer," the woman said. "Do not fear. Your ship will be safe. You, and it, are needed."

 

"Needed for what?!?" Gibbs yelled. "Who in hell are you?"

 

She didn't respond, and Gibbs noticed the wall closing in rapidly.

 

He didn't have a chance to utter a quick prayer this time around, but it didn't matter. The ship crashed through the wall, into what looked to be a huge stadium or auditorium, with a group of people huddled in the back and another ship hovering along the ceiling.

 

Moments later, the _Shannon and Kelly_ hit the floor. Gibbs thought for certain it was going to hit the back wall of the auditorium; it did not.

 

The Shannon and Kelly came to a full stop, and Gibbs - and everyone else - saw their liquid metal encasing disappear, and the mysterious liquid metal Kate-lookalike right behind Tony and Ziva. Gibbs whipped out his P229 - still in his hand - and aimed it at her.

 

"You have five seconds to identify yourself and where we are at," Gibbs said. "Team. Fire on my mark."

 

Tony was looking outside, and his mouth flew open. Ziva also was looking outside, and she turned back to Gibbs.

 

"ZIVA! DINOZZO!" Gibbs yelled.

 

Abby and McGee's instruments began pinging; Abby looked at Gibbs - who looked ready to blow the silver woman out of the viewscreen - and then at Jenny.

 

"Agent Sciuto. Agent McGee. Sensors," Jenny said, as Abby and McGee checked the readings.

 

Abby turned around. "Gibbs...Director, McGee, Tony, Ziva, Ducky, Paula, Jimmy!!! Kate's down there! She's alive!"

 

"Kate...Kate's alive?" Gibbs said, softly, then gathered himself. "Sitrep."

 

"Boss, sensors indicate Kate's outside the ship, in a crowd of people," McGee said, as Jenny ran to his position. "Long-range scanners, reading her uniform, and her biometrics, show 98.7 percent likelihood that it's her."

 

Gibbs needed to respond to that, and to the now-relaxed silver woman, held at gunpoint by Ziva, waiting for Gibbs to give his next order.

 

But he next chose to respond to Tony, gawking outside the viewscreen - and at the two women hovering on the other side.

 

One was a blonde-haired, mid-20s woman, wearing a turtleneck Superman/Supergirl suit, who looked like Kate. The other woman was dressed in Hawkwoman's uniform, complete with the Thanagarian hawk mask, mace and wings; although Tony couldn't see her eyes, he noticed her jaw, and body, structure were an exact ringer for Kate.

 

Then he saw the Superwoman pointing towards the floor, and noticed the Kate Todd he knew - in her Challengers uniform - running towards the ship, even as another Kate in a Green Lantern uniform flew in between Superwoman and Hawkwoman.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With their ship having crashed into the Carrier's auditorium, the Challengers reunite with one of their own - and meet the other super hero Kates assembled there.

**Chapter 7**

 

Onboard the _Shannon and Kelly_ , the Challengers of the Unknown were looking in shock out at the scene before them. The women, and animals, below were just as shocked to see the ship, which barged its way – loudly – into the auditorium

 

"DINOZZO!...What the hell am I looking at...?" yelled Gibbs, jumping out of his chair.

 

His order fell on deaf ears.

 

Tony, standing in front of the main viewscreen, was speechless, even as the three flying women waved at him and the others on the bridge, or knocked on the other side of the viewscreen.

 

Ziva waved her hand over Tony's face, but he was unresponsive; she then grabbed him by the back of the neck and began to shake, even as Superwoman and Hawkwoman looked at each other in confusion, followed by a smirk from the Lantern.

 

Gibbs put a hand on Ziva's forearm to signal for her to stop, then he nodded for Ducky to check on him.

 

"Tony? Tony! Are you with us, Tony?" Ducky said. Tony turned his head to look at Ducky, then the other way to look at Gibbs and Ziva, then back at the viewscreen.

 

They saw the Lantern hovering with her arms folded; the Hawkwoman and her wings flapping, her mace in one hand; the Superwoman smiling and knocking on the screen; and two more Kates, wearing Adam Strange's and Mary Marvel's uniforms, respectively.

 

Seeing the Mary Marvel analogue - miniskirt and all - finally got Tony to say something.

 

"Kate wouldn't be caught dead in that outfit, boss," he muttered. "I don't mind at all--"

 

**SLAP!**

 

A head slap from his boss seemed to knock DiNozzo out of his daze, and drew looks of shock from the Superwoman and near-horror from the Mary Marvel analogue. The Lantern began to giggle, while the woman in the Adam Strange uniform looked completely lost. Hawkwoman wondered what exactly was going on.

 

"Sorry boss," Tony said, rubbing the back of his head.

 

"Gibbs. Did she just say 'holy moley'?" Ziva asked after seeing “Kate Marvel” speak to the other women.

 

Ducky looked over Tony, asking if he was alright; Tony nodded, saying he was fine.

 

"He appears to be fine, Jethro," Ducky said. "Once things...settle down a bit, I will need to give Tony a closer examination."

 

Jenny, looking to assert some kind of authority as the team's director, inserted herself between Gibbs and DiNozzo. "Have any of you noticed the other women below? All four dozen of them?"

 

"Yep," Gibbs said. "Her, too," he said, pointing to the team's uninvited guest: the Kate analogue in the silver liquid metal uniform, strands and braids of cables sticking out of her head.

 

Then he turned to the stranger. "You put us here?"

 

"I did not bring you here; you did that yourself," she said, with Kate's voice and without her cadence. "However, this ship your own ship flew into once belonged to my team; it now belongs to the monitor, and they are here for his purposes."

 

"They," Gibbs said, pointing to the viewscreen. "Who in hell is this monitor? They with you? With him?"

 

"They are not with me or with him. I was brought here for the same purposes as they were," the Engineer replied. “As was your team member.”

 

"Kate?" Gibbs said. "Where is she?"

 

At that moment, he and the others heard a faint rapping from the main door to the ship.

 

"You should ask her yourself," the Engineer replied, "if you will merely let her in."

 

Gibbs and everyone else looked at one another. "McGee! Get those cameras activated! Tony, Ziva! I want a full diagnostic on the ship! Ducky, Palmer, get to medical! Abby, call up Kate's records--"

 

They heard the door torn off its hinges, and Gibbs pulled out his P229, then ordered his team to do the same. Jenny, with her phase pistol drawn, went to Gibbs' side.

 

Gibbs slowly opened the door leading to the cargo bay, medical, sanitation and sleeping quarters. When he did, he saw a sight for sore eyes.

 

Kate - his Kate, in the purple Challengers uniform - hands on hips, looking annoyed, was held in place by the Hawkwoman, who smiled at the scene, despite herself.

 

Gibbs and Jenny stepped into the hallway, Jenny aiming her pistol; Gibbs put his pistol in its holster, then reached out to embrace Kate in a tight hug, as she embraced him back.

 

In his gut, he knew she was the real deal - certainly, his Kate.

 

"Welcome back, Kate," he whispered. "Thought I lost ya."

 

"Me too," she whispered back, then saw Jenny, gun drawn. "Uh, Gibbs...the director still may think you lost me."

 

Gibbs broke the embrace, turned back to Jenny, and held his palm up. "You can put the gun down, Jen."

 

"I disagree," she replied. "I'm ordering Dr. Mallard and Mr. Palmer AND Agents McGee and Sciuto to do a full diagnostic on this...woman--"

 

"Wow," said Hawkwoman. "You're the same bitch here as my Shepard is to Katar and I,"

 

"Excuse me?" Jenny replied, pointing her phaser to Hawkwoman, even as Challenger Kate held up her palms, and briefly the Challenger, the Hawk and the director got into a shouting match, stopped by a very loud whistle from Gibbs.

 

"Enough!!!" he yelled. "Kate. To medical, with Ducky and Abby. You" - pointing to Hawkwoman - "inside, with us - and her--"

 

"Actually," Hawkwoman replied, "you and your team need to be out with us."

 

"And why is that?" Jenny said. "Who are you?"

 

"A Justice League made up of a lot of versions of the same woman, brought together for something big," she replied.

 

"How big?" Gibbs replied. "What's the threat?"

 

"Who's the threat," Challenger Kate interjected. "Ari. And apparently there are just as many of him as there are of me."

 

Once Gibbs reasserted his authority over his team to Jenny - and Jenny reminded him of her authority over him - he got down to business.

 

First, he ordered McGee to confirm that the Kate in the Challengers uniform was the one he and his team knew; she was. Then he ordered her to submit to a quick physical by Ducky.

 

Only then did he allow his team off the Shannon and Kelly onto the floor of the massive auditorium, with Jenny attempting to assert her authority as "representative of the Challengers program, its members, the Department of Extranormal Operations, the United States of America and whatever planet Earth we're from".

 

Gibbs looked for the leader of the group, which he numbered at 55, including his own.

 

He saw a Kate in a Wonder Woman suit who put herself forward. Her outfit was more informed by Greek mythology than the Americanesque, red, white and blue outfit his world's Wonder Woman wore.

 

And he noticed the Kate in the Green Lantern-ish outfit putting herself forward, rather reluctantly, but firmly.

 

One thing he noticed was that none of them were easily led – just like the Kate Todd he knew. As ten more came forward to speak with he and Jenny, Gibbs could only chuckle.


	9. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet the latest group of allies Harbinger has recruited for the Kates - Justice League Los Angeles from one Earth, and from another the Healers, a medical team led by Dr. Maura Isles and supported by a special ops team that includes a certain tomboyish Red Sox fan and a powerful anthropomorphic tortoise.

**The Monitor's headquarters**

Traveling up the chain of dimensions was not impossible, but not easy. Sticking to the lower end of the chain of frequencies - from Earth Zero and Earth Prime on up through the 300s - was easiest for her. Going up through the hundreds, into the thousands, was more time- and power-consuming, but sometimes necessary.

For Harbinger, the issues with Earth-720 and Earth-1005 were going there, and taking people back with her to Earth-223.

"I'd rather find a super-team from one of the earths in the 100s or 200s, Monitor," Harbinger said. "A Justice League. Justice Society. Legion-"

"Don't want to bring in outsiders, not unless we have to," said the Monitor. "That's why I brought in all of your counterparts. More of you than of Tony, Ziva, McGee, Abby, Palmer, even me. Can't put a team of Duckys out there-"

"Only a few of him even come close to meeting your criteria," Harbinger said. "Bring in family to help fight this war against Darkseid and that 'Harbinger' of his who looks like Ari-"

"IS Ari," Monitor corrected.

"IS Ari," Harbinger continued. "And maybe this Anti-Monitor you talk about from this Primal Multiverse of 1985, whatever that is-"

"Not right now, Kate," Monitor said. "You need to get to Earths 720 and 1005 now."

"And look for what, Gibbs?" Harbinger said. "You don't want me to ask Superman to get involved-"

"Got two of them. And a Superwoman."

"We could end this in minutes if we had a full team of them-"

"No," Monitor replied, knowing that Darkseid had overpowered, and enslaved, a number of Supermen from throughout the multiverse, as high up as Earths in the twelve thousands. "Can't go that route. Can't use the traditional Leagues, or Societies. No time to jump into the timestream and grab Legions, either."

"Then who in the cosmos do we get?" Harbinger said. "I've got dozens of women, and a few men, about to mutiny because I'm keeping them cooped up. I should be back there-"

"Doing what, Harbinger?" Monitor replied. "Kate, they're doing a good job organizing themselves. They need to be filled out with a few more teams-"

"Then why don't you go find these teams? Or go to the Carrier and settle down the Kates?"

"That's your job," Monitor said. "As far as these two Earths, you're not looking for Kates, not for the Leagues or Societies, Titans, Justifiers or Revengers. Not for free agents, like Constantine, Fate, Stranger, Question. Unless they're friends of the family."

It dawned on Harbinger. If there were no Kates, then she was to look for 'friends and family' counterparts of friends and associates of the Monitor, when he was merely human.

And, the two teams she was to recruit would fill out their roster quite nicely.

**Earth-720**

**Hawai'i**

Five-0 Agent Danny 'Danno' Williams took a helluva shot to his shoulder. He was barely awake, and bleeding out fast. So, it was good, then, that the Healers were there as backup.

Five-0 was taking heavy fire from the Yakuza cartel and, even with backup from the Healers' special ops team, was overwhelmed.

Williams might have bled out had Dr. Maura Isles not been there, but she needed cover in order to stabilize and heal him.

"Bass!" Dr. Isles yelled over the gunfire. "Need cover!"

Williams was drifting in and out of consciousness, and what he saw coming towards him he thought to be a delusion, or dream.

One moment, he saw the inside of the roof of a warehouse, and tracer fire overhead. The next, was a beautiful blonde woman in medical gear, and one of the Mutant Ninja Turtles, and a shell over them.

"Whhhaaaattt," Danno mumbled. "Lady...Leonardo?"

"Shhh," Dr. Isles said, as gunfire hit the outside of the shell. "I need a few minutes, to pull the slug out, then to administer the medication-"

The shell shook, and Danno tried to sit up, only to be restrained by a big, male, muscle-bound anthromorphic tortoise.

"Bass," Dr. Isles said. "Will your shell protect us from this gunfire? I need ten more minutes-"

"Relax, doc," said the tortoise, built like a linebacker. "Shell's withstood far worse than this."

Outside, the other five members of Five-0 advanced on the Yakuza leaders, supported by the Healers' ops team.

Steve McGarrett - lead agent of Five-0 - and Lt. Jane Rizzoli - second-in-command of the ops team - led the way. McGarrett took out his experimental automatic rifle, put his backup pistol in its holster, and his secondary backup in his back waist. Jane had one of her team's PIT-41 assault rifles, and backup pistols on her hip and back waist.

"Good weapon," McGarrett said, shooting down a Yakuza soldier with his pistol. "750 rounds a minute."

Rizzoli shot down a pair of soldiers with her own pistol. "What's that thing you got, McGarrett? That toy the feds gave ya even work?"

"Oh, it works," McGarrett said, ducking to power up the weapon. "Lord 6880. Fires off 5,000 rounds a minute-"

"Damn!" Rizzoli said, shooting down another pair of soldiers. "How many rounds it hold?"

"10,000," McGarrett said. "Meaning we got two minutes. Yakuzas have Chinese mafia automatics firing off 900 rounds. We're outnumbered 3 to 1-"

"Way I like it," Rizzoli replied. "You use your Supergun to gun down the mob, we'll take care of the rest."

Both signalled to their respective teams to prepare for the final assault on the Yakuzas' compound. They moved into position, and on McGarrett's sign, they moved in.

Six seconds later, the fire from the Yakuza end ceased, and the fire from Five-0 and the Healers' ops team hit an invisible shield.

"Cease fire!" McGarrett yelled, as Rizzoli stared up into the sky.

"Maura?" Rizzoli said, staring at a red-and-blue clad woman looking like Dr. Isles, hovering 30 feet over them.

Agents Kono Kalakaua, Chin Ho Kelly, Cat Rollins, Adam Noshimuri and Lou Grover aimed their weapons at the woman, as did ops team Captain Vince Korsak and Lieutenants Barry Frost, Frankie Rizzoli, Joey Grant and Riley Cooper.

"Identify yourself!" McGarrett yelled at her. "Stand down, lower yourself, knees on the ground and hands in the air!"

"Who the hell are you?" Rizzoli yelled at the stranger. "And what in hell did you do?"

Nearby, Dr. Isles retreated from Lt. Bass's shell, and they began walking Agent Williams towards the group. Rizzoli looked back to make sure the doctor and her tortoise friend - and their patient - were okay, as did McGarrett, then looked up at the woman, who spoke.

"I am the Harbinger," she said, her voice sounding exactly like Maura - and heard by anyone within a square mile. "I have need of the Healers. A great battle will be fought in the multiverse, and we can waste no more time."

At that instant, the Healers disappeared, leaving Five-0 alone with a group of unconscious Yakuzas.

**Earth-1005**

The Healers found themselves transported in a bubble alongside Harbinger, and images from alternate earths passed by in instants. Before they could acclimate themselves to the bizarre scene outside their bubble, they found themselves hovering over what they thought was Los Angeles, then over a sort-of familiar Huntington Beach engulfed in chaos.

"That's Huntington Beach?" Lt. Frankie Rizzoli said. "What's going on down there?"

"Something out of a comic book," Lt. Barry Frost said. "Or a movie, like  _Avengers_."

The Earth Harbinger took them to was one of many with superheroes - unlike Earth-720, whose superhero analogues were either cops, agents or mercenaries - and the group fighting before them was familiar to one of them.

"I know those guys," said Lt. Bass, the tortoise. "NCIS. Special Ops. Out of L.A."

Only they weren't NCIS, on this world.

This was the Los Angeles branch of Justice League America; led by team leader G Callen, also known as the Human Target, JL:LA had a reputation as a strong, effective superhuman force, albeit with as many quirky personalities as the second-string JL:A team based out of New York.

The Human Target; UltraSEAL; Golden Arrow and the Thorn; Virtua-Wave; Cyclone; and Roborg, led by their operations manager, the former JSA member known as the first Red Tornado, and overseen by Owen Granger, a member of the original Suicide Squad, were getting their collective rear-ends kicked by the Chameleon.

Harbinger was going to have to step in again, to paralyze the villain so she could 'borrow' the heroes.

Only when she moved into battle, the Chameleon shot her point blank with a laser weapon, and she fell three dozen feet onto a lawn in front of a long-evacuated hotel.


	10. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Justice League Los Angeles - with help from Dr. Isles, her team of Healers and their special operations allies - try to take down the Chameleon while protecting Harbinger.

**Chapter 9**

**Huntington Beach, California, Earth-1005**

Callen intended to sneak up on the Chameleon from behind to end the Chameleon's madness.

Three of their teammates were incapacitated - Virtua-Wave caught in what the Chameleon called a 'virtual reality loop'; Roborg's metal suit inert and his Internal Processing Unit barely keeping him alive; and the female warrior Thorn changed into a frightened, docile woman, sobbing at the chaos around her.

While UltraSEAL fended off remotely controlled trucks and SUVs that the Chameleon was using as a weapon against him, the Golden Arrow was trying to protect his partner, Thorn, and Cyclone was covering Roborg in place. Every time Cyclone would attempt to move herself and Roborg, Chameleon launched a missile at her, forcing her to use her wind-based powers to steer it away from them. Golden Arrow had fended off the missiles Chameleon launched towards him and Thorn, but was running out of arrows.

Chameleon not only had a endless supply of missiles and vehicles, he apparently had a laser. After using it to hit the woman who appeared out of nowhere, the Chameleon proceeded to aim it at buildings, gas lines, anything he saw as vulnerable.

At that point, JL:LA operations manager Hetty Lange - the Red Tornado - entered the fray, appearing next to Callen.

"Mr. Callen, we need to end this insanity immediately!" she said. "At this rate, Janvier will destroy the entire city, and within the hour! This must end, now!"

"You able to get ahold of the League, Hetty? Or the JSA?" said Callen, who thought he had figured out a plan to recover the stranger before Chameleon could see her and finish the job.

"I barely got a message to Owen, Mr. Callen," Hetty said. "Our communications relay was destroyed by that bastard, and I am uncertain as to whether Owen even got half of my message-"

"So we're on our own."

"Yes, Mr. Callen, but we have been in this situation before and survived."

"Sam," Callen said in his communicator. "You saw Janvier hit that woman with his laser?"

Sam Hanna - UltraSEAL - had just tossed an oncoming semitruck speeding towards him at 105 miles an hour. As it crashed 30 yards behind him, he took a few deep breaths, looking for other projectiles and weapons the Chameleon was using. Hanna's strength and stamina were second to no other human, and approached that of Superman and Wonder Woman; however, he was beginning to slip.

"Yeah, I saw it. Never saw  _her_  before in my life," Hanna said, deflecting a dozen metal pipes ripped from a nearby bistro, directed at him by Chameleon. "G, we gotta put this fool down, now! We can figure out where he got all his powers later."

"Agreed, Mr. Hanna," said Hetty. "You will recover the woman, while Mr. Callen approaches Janvier from behind-"

"And who's gonna distract him?" yelled Hanna, picking up a sedan wrecked in an earlier encounter and tossing it at an oncoming utility truck.

"I am," said Hetty, and Callen just then noticed she was in her Red Tornado uniform, complete with the metal crockpot helmet. No one in nor outside the super hero community joked about it, however, because of her reputation built from years as an intelligence agent.

The last of the Cold War warriors understood this may be her last battle. Whatever the source of his powers, they were much more ferocious and deadly than ever before, and what should have been a two-man mission to capture the criminal turned into a fight that led to the evacuation of the city and the team fighting at a disadvantage.

"Mr. Hanna, go now! I will distract Janvier, hopefully to give Mr. Deeks time to take Ms. Blye to safer grounds, and for Miss Jones to do the same with Mr. Vail. Mr. Callen, if you can, disarm his weaponry; if you do not have time, disable Janvier," said Hetty, lifting off abruptly, heading towards the Chameleon.

For Callen, everything ran in slow motion. He saw Deeks fire a boxing glove arrow at a missile, then putting himself and Kensi on his rocket arrow, aimed away from the chaos. Then he saw Nell lift Dom up in a cyclone, and head away from the city center.

He saw Sam attempt to recover the woman, then Deeks get knocked down by a rocket to his chest, and a very large man and a paramedic darting from behind a wrecked food truck and rush towards Deeks. Callen turned back towards Sam, stopping to avoid a headshot from one of Janvier's lasers.

"SAM!" Callen yelled, before noticing Janvier firing lasers at Hetty in her goofy Golden Age uniform, and her fending them off with the wind powers she rarely used any more. Then he heard a feral scream behind him, and saw Kensi Blye - as the powerful warrior Thorn - rushing past him towards the fight.

Callen looked back and saw Deeks down for the count, then saw a couple of Huntington Beach SWAT members tending to him.

 _No. Huntington Beach doesn't have a SWAT team,_  he thought.  _Where did those medics come from…and is that a giant turtle shell lowering itself over them? The hell?_

Callen saw the SWAT duo coming up - but they weren't any SWAT team he was familiar with. Definitely not LAPD Special Operations Bureau-

"Lt. Frankie Rizzoli, Lt. Riley Cooper, special ops," said the male. "Our people are going at him from the other side. We'll cut him off from the back. Your partner, the big guy? He's okay, he'll get Harbinger."

"He'll get WHO?" Callen said, trying to figure out which jurisdiction these people were under.

"We'll explain later," Cooper said. "We're friendlies. And the nutjob up there is the priority. I read the comics. I know how these superhero battles go. We need to fight him, not each other."

Callen did a double take. "You're not with him."

"Hell no," Rizzoli said, "but if we keep talking and not take him out, we might not even be here in too long."

Callen thought about these people, then saw similarly dressed...special ops forces?...shooting at Janvier, giving Sam enough cover to recover the blonde woman.

Janvier turned his fire away from Hetty and Sam on to the "special ops", only to be knocked down by Thorn. Callen figured now was the time to make his move.

"You two, on my six," he said, and the Human Target ran as fast as he could, yelling at Thorn to hold him, hands behind his back.

Seconds later, after Callen injected him with 30 CCs of immobilizer serum, it was over.

"G...G...CalLEN...the man who could be anyone...man without an identity...I know who you are. I know your true name..."

"Why Huntington Beach? Why this chaos? Why my team?" Callen yelled, as the Chameleon slipped in and out of consciousness. "Why not ME?"

"...I'll never tell you..." Janvier said, slipping into unconsciousness. One of the medics, trailing the other group of special ops, checked vitals.

"He's alive, but he'll need medical attention," said Assistant Healer Susie Chang.

"Who ARE you people?" shouted Thorn, standing close guard over the unconscious body of the Chameleon, while Chang reached into her medical bag. Thorn looked around, frantically, for her partner. "Where is Dee-Golden Arrow?! What did you-"

"Thorn, stand down!" Callen said, as two of the special ops people - Rizzoli and a tall, raven-haired woman - put themselves between Chang and Thorn. "These people are on our side."

"You sure of that, Target?" said UltraSEAL, before the dark-haired woman turned around to answer.

"I'M damn sure," said Lt. Jane Rizzoli. "We're on your side. And we're just as confused about what's going on here as youare."

Thorn warily looked at the woman, then heard someone far off shouting to her.

"Fern! Fern! FEEERRRNN!" Thorn's partner - the Golden Arrow - looked much better than he had after one of Janvier's palm-sized rockets snuck through and knocked him out. "Fernsalina? Thornbush? Tiger? Sugarbear?" Though the fronts of his shirt and jacket were gone, and the ArmorVest he wore underneath had a large, dark burned spot over his chest, the LAPD undercover detective-turned-hero otherwise looked none the worse for wear and like his usual, laid-back, comical and very healthy self.

For her part, the Thorn forgot about the others and ran straight towards the scruffy archer, grabbing him into a bear hug.

"Oh Deeks I am SO glad you're okay-" she whispered, then stopped, looking at the female doctor and the large creature close behind him, looking closely at the woman's face. She looked very familiar, but from where?

The doctor smiled at Thorn. "Hello, I'm Dr. Isles, and this is my friend and associate, Lt. Bass." The very large tortoise - whose shell had contracted to fit his back, and who was wearing the same uniform as the special ops people - stuck out his hand. "I'm Lt. Bass," he said. "I help cover Dr. Isles, and other Healers, when Capt. Korsak and Lt. Rizzoli's team is in the field."

Thorn looked back and forth between Bass and Dr. Isles.

"I'm a reptilian humanoid, of the order Chelonni, from the country of Mali," Bass continued. "I'm a third-generation American...miss? Miss?-"

"What did you do to him?" Thorn said, grabbing Dr. Isles by the arm; this drew the attention of Jane Rizzoli, who took off running towards them, ignoring her C.O.'s queries.

"Excuse me!" Dr. Isles said, as Bass moved in to break her grip, Arrow slipped in to deescalate the confrontation, and before long, members of both teams were pushing them apart. Arrow then stepped in the middle, having grabbed one of his trick arrows, and broke off the tip.

A white flag came out.

"What are you doing, Golden Arrow?" Hetty said, using Deeks' codename; they never used the others' real names in the field around others, even those who knew their identities.

"Peace offering. Calling for peace. Peace in our time," replied Deeks. "They saved my life. Mr. Big and Definitely Not Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, and Dr. Colette saved my life."

Everyone looked at each other, trying to get the reference.

"Who?" Thorn said to her partner. "And what did they do to you?"

"To answer your question: his thorax was impacted by a projectile traveling at a high rate of speed," Dr. Isles said, flanked by Jane and Bass. "The impact resulted in an abrupt loss of cardiac function, which necessitated immediate treatment, provided by myself using the LifeMonitor-"

"Maura. English," added Jane. "And tell them what your newest toy is."

"What she's saying is I took one of Janvier's rockets to the chest, and, yes, Target, I had my vest on," Arrow said. "My heart stopped, she put that blue box on me, next thing I know, I'm looking at Dr. Colette from TV and Leonardo or Michaelangelo below a turtle shell as big as an igloo-"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Arrow, but my name is Dr. Isles, Maura Isles," Maura replied.

"Well, I'm just saying you look, at least to me anyway, like Dr. Jackie Colette, from Presidio Med. 13 seasons on CBS. Comes on right after CSI, Tuesday nights - c'mon, Sunshine, you and me and Monty sit at watch it on the DVR after we're through fighting crime...Thornbush? Fernsi?"

"Arrow," Thorn said, looking closely at the doctor. "She's not a TV character and not an actress."

"No," Target added, as Tornado looked on, while the Healers and their special ops associates began to close ranks around Maura. "Tornado, Thorn. The facial resemblance. Bodily structure."

"I also see it, Human Target," Red Tornado said. "Except for her blonde hair color, and probably being several years older, Dr. Isles could be an identical twin to the young woman you and I knew personally as the Phantom Lady. Of all the events today has produced, this is by far a most unusual - and most unexpected - coincidence."

Target bit his lip. "I don't believe in coincidences," he finally said, as Jane and Maura wondered what on earth - earths - this was all about. "We worked with them, both of us. Thorn. You remember-"

"Agent Todd," Thorn said, in a near whisper, looking at Target. "Freedom Fighters."

UltraSEAL walked up on the group, having stayed behind with the strange woman at Red Tornado's order. "She's not the only woman who looks like the Phantom Lady. Stranger back there, the one Janvier hit? Spitting image of her, too, just like this lady."

"That's definitely no coincidence," Target said, looking at Jane. "Now that Janvier is subdued, you mind telling me who YOU are and how you got here?"

After the group went back towards Harbinger and Chameleon, Jane and Korsak explained their encounter with Harbinger, and the woman's fantastic story as she took them to what they knew to be a parallel universe.

"You guys are superheroes," Jane said. "We only have them in comic books, and TV and movies."

"And you do not have costumed heroes and villains in your world," Tornado said. "I must admit, the story you tell, as interesting as it sounds, also is challenging to accept at face value. While your actions today have proven that you are allies, you will surely understand if we ask you to consent to a background check."

As Dr. Chang and Dr. Isles finished their work on Harbinger, they heard a soft pinging noise coming from the device that had fallen off her belt, and Lt. Frost stepped back to investigate.

"We can do that, Miss...Tornado?" Capt. Korsak replied, as the diminutive heroine nodded. "But you won't find us in your databases. I've been to Huntington Beach once, last year on business. Parts of this city are unrecognizable to me. There should be a 108-story skyscraper along the oceanfront."

"Nearest skyscraper's in L.A.," UltraSEAL said, as the pinging grew louder. "I think we need to call Superman on this. I've heard about reports of parallel worlds before. They may be from one of them."

"Definitely are from one of them," Jane replied, "and everything we said is true. Do a breathalyzer on us, we'll take drug tests-"

The pinging from the device became five times as loud as it had been, causing some to cover their ears. Frost attempted to pick it up, but when he touched it he felt a shock, causing him to recoil. Chameleon began to stir nearby.

Then, a humanlike figure leapt from the device, turning from ghostly to solid in seconds. The scene was strange to the Healers and their support team, and familiar to the Los Angeles Leaguers.

"Eri-Virtua-Wave!" shouted Cyclone, in joy, running over to embrace her own partner. "I thought that Janvier had...that we lost you-"

"Don't worry; you can't get rid of me that easily," said Virtua-Wave. "I not only got out of his virtual loop, I found my way into that Mother Box."

Human Target knelt down to examine the device, with Tornado, Jane, Korsak and Frost also looking at it directly, and almost all of the others looking above their shoulders.

"So that's what that's called," Frost said, as UltraSEAL put his foot on Chameleon's chest. "A mother box. She kept touching it when we were in that bubble on the way here."

"Guys, everything they said, everything Superman and STAR Labs, Stephen Hawking, Emil Hamilton, has said about parallel universes. It's true," Virtua-Wave said. "These people are from one of these worlds. They're allies, and so is this woman."

Target walked to Virtua-Wave, telling him to debrief both teams. After he did, Target looked closely again at Dr. Isles and Harbinger.

"This woman is recruiting a team, according to Virtua-Wave's intel, for some kind of war to save the universe, or universes," he said. "We can figure out why she targeted you - medical support - but why come here?"

"Maybe she was looking for someone?" Cyclone said. "Superman? Max Lord's League? The Green Lantern Corps, or the JSA, or New Teen Titans?"

"She was looking for someone, Cyclone," Red Tornado said, sadly. "Someone who no longer is with us."

Jane and Maura looked at her, in shock.

"Agent Todd - her counterpart and your own, apparently, Dr. Isles - was part of a team targeted by, and killed by, a terrorist several years ago," Human Target said. "Her team was the Freedom Fighters. She was code-named Phantom Lady. The original League hadn't even formed yet, so there were only a few metahumans – Superman, Wonder Woman, the JSA that came out of retirement – and special ops teams like the Suicide Squad to bring the killer to justice."

"And a powerful task force, which included you and I, Human Target," Red Tornado said. "The day we lost the Fighters was an awful day. Although Superman's apprehensions about killing are noble, sometimes doing so is necessary. We take no joy in killing Haswari, but it had to be done. And we miss our colleagues every day."

"So," Arrow said. "So this lady came here for nothing?"

"Not for nothing," Human Target said. "We make sure this Harbinger is okay. Once she is, we go with her. If she came here looking for Agent Todd and her team, the least we can do is take their place, and help her."

"Not until we make sure Janvier's locked up tight," UltraSEAL said.

"Agreed," Red Tornado said. "Virtua-Wave, contact Mr. Granger, tell him we need secure transportation of Janvier to our facility in Temecula. Human Target and Thorn will accompany them to process Janvier, while the remainder of our team escorts our guests to our headquarters."

Virtua-Wave contacted the team's operations manager. After Granger was debriefed, he spoke with Tornado, and ordered for she and SEAL to escort the "guests" to the Department of Extranormal Operations' processing facility in Riverside, and that he would meet her there after Janvier was processed.

"Bugger," Tornado said in frustration. After the team's recent adventure with the Titans - and not delivering the impostor Hawkman, Fel Andar, to the DEO - Hetty realized she would have to take the Healers to Riverside. Granger, however, couldn't make her keep them there forever, and neither could the DEO...

_**PING PING PING PING PING** _

"What in the world?" Korsak said, as the device began buzzing and glowing, and pinging louder. "Frost-"

Virtua-Wave moved to it, then decided to modify his body to reenter the device.

"ERIC!" Target yelled, before he - and the others - were enveloped in a bright white light.

Moments later, they, and the bubble that Harbinger brought the Healers in, left Earth-1005. Granger's team arrived to find Janvier immobilized, and found no signs of Justice League Los Angeles nor of the strangers who helped them defeat the Chameleon. Granger went to process Janvier as quickly as possible so he could concentrate on finding his team, and went to Riverdale to contact Director Leon Vance in Washington, and tell him the good, and bad, news.


	11. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Justice League Los Angeles and the Healers arrive on the Carrier, but their arrival is overshadowed by grave news about Harbinger; the Crime Syndicate gets onto the Dark Carrier, while Kalel uncovers a similar method that could get he, Superwoman's cousin Superman and Green Lantern's Justice League onto the Carrier.

**Earth-223**

**The Carrier**

Those in the auditorium weren't shocked by the white light announcing the return of Harbinger, nor were they shocked by who she brought with her.

What shocked everyone was her condition.

The Healers and Justice League Los Angeles surrounded Harbinger, and initially everyone only saw them, and a large tortoise shell. 

"Maura?" said the Moon Maiden, who on her world had quit NCIS to help her twin sister escape from the clutches of Paddy Doyle. She noticed Dr. Isles emerge from the retreating shell, while the teams began introducing themselves to those already in the auditorium.

"I know that man," said the Red Star, Katya Todd, a member of the People's League on her Earth. "Grigory Reznikov. He worked with Gibbs undercover in the NIS-"

"No, he's not. He's G Callen, who works for NCIS in their Special Ops division. He's their senior agent under Lara Macy," said the Hawkwoman. "I met him right after I met Katar, after...we lost my old team."

Gibbs and DiNozzo, from the Challengers team, didn't know the Healers but did know the JL:LA's counterparts.

"Callen's team, boss?" DiNozzo said. "You two worked together in Serbia?"

"Not him, DiNozzo," Gibbs replied. "They're doppelgangers...you see Harbinger anywhere?"

"No," replied DiNozzo, but Challenger Ziva David did, pointing Harbinger out to Gibbs. 

"She is injured," said Wonder Woman, as the physicians in the crowd made their way towards Harbinger.

Dr. Mallard and Palmer joined Dr. Maura Isles and her team in tending to the unconscious Harbinger. Maura's team had treated the wound caused by Chameleon's laser blast on the other earth, but hadn't been able to wake her up.

"I must confess, this has me mystified, Jethro," Dr. Mallard said, as Gibbs and the Challengers joined the dozens of other people surrounding Harbinger. "With Harbinger's physiology, a standard laser blast shouldn't have harmed her, much less put her in her present condition."

"She's in a coma, doc?" Gibbs asked.

"Not quite, agent Gibbs, but I can't wake her up," Dr. Isles said. "Her vitals are stable for now, but whatever the Chameleon did to her on that other world, injured her much more than Dr. Chang and I initially diagnosed."

"How bad, Maura?" asked Jane.

"Grave. And I don't believe I have the proper equipment to do anything other than keep her sedated...much less save her life."

**The Dark Carrier**

While Ultraman pounded on the ship's protective force field, trying to force his way through - in vain - the five other Crime Syndicate members on board their protective bubble looked on.

Only Owlman was brave enough to chuckle at Kal-Ul's futile efforts. Martian Mankiller and Sea King were annoyed and getting angry at their inaction, while Power Ring and Johnny Quick were afraid to do anything other than stand still.

Owlman was also the only one actually doing something about the situation. He figured out fairly quickly how to access the ship, through a series of musical notes reminiscent of a hard metal orchestra on the Syndicate's world, then broadcast the melody towards an entry point.

The bubble flew past Ultraman, who stared dumbly at it, before realizing Owlman had found a way onto the ship. He followed the bubble in, cursing as it landed in a hallway, and wasted no time confronting the Dark Mercenary.

"GOD BELOW YOU DAMNED FOOL! WHAT IN THE HELLVENLIES IS THAT $&*##= NOISE AND WHY DID YOU AIM IT AT ME?"

"Don't worry, Kent. I didn't take one of your 6-Tracks - Satan knows where you find them," Owlman smirked. "In case you didn't figure it out, already, I gained access onto this ship. Through a melody reminiscent of the great demonic composers-"

"Pro-fit-able," Ultraman spat. "How useful is this? Is SHE on this thing?" The Maniac of Steel looked in vain for Superwoman with his Penetrating Vision, then growled out an array of Kryptonian profanities.

"I sense others on this ship," Mankiller said, using his telepathic abilities. "Not nearby, but aboard. And likeminded."

"Allies?" Sea King asked.

"Your Atlantean shit doesn't apply in the surface world - nor in space," Ultraman spat. "There are no allies. Surely the God of the Seven Seas you fashion yourself as knows that. If not...I ought to go to Atlantis and Poseidonis when we return to our world and feast on your people's flesh-"

"YOU WILL NOT!" Sea King bellowed in response. Their would-be fight was stopped, however, by Power Ring, glowing a dark green, his ring manipulating him to speak more authoritatively than his normal timid nature allowed.

Against his will, the ring pushed him between Sea King and Ultraman, as Quick, Mankiller and Owlman surrounded them.

"Volthoom" - the entity powering the ring - "says in fact, there are likeminded beings on board, and, so is Superwoman-"

"WHERE?" yelled Ultraman.

A schematic of the ship appeared above them, in three dimensions, pinpointing their location and the location of the other beings on board.

"And SHE is with them?" Ultraman said.

"Yes," Power Ring replied. "There." He pointed to a conference room, on the other side of the ship.

**The Conference Room**

Ari Luthor looked at the camera footage showing their visitors leaving where they entered the ship, heading towards the so-called Aris - and Superwoman.

"I give them twenty minutes," Luthor said, calmly. "This is a big ship. It will be enough time to-"

"Kill them?" Superwoman said, with a hint of fear in her voice. "Don't let him come here."

"You mean the Batman analogue?"

"I mean Ultraman."

"Perhaps you should not have said that," Luthor replied. "His superhearing presumably is as good at hearing distant conversations as the Superman I know, and his counterparts from across the multiverse. From what you tell me, he may not appreciate your comment."

"Ari," Superwoman said. "I do not want that...brute. Owlman is a much preferable replacement, but his mind...is not like your own."

Luthor glanced back at her. "How so, Katelyn?"

"His intelligence comes through artificial means. Your intelligence is inate, a more...attractive trait."

"Hmm," Luthor said. "The women I am with usually accuse me of lusting after power."

"They're beneath you," said Katelyn, pressing against his back, whispering in his ear. "I will spoil you for other women."

Luthor briefly considered taking her right there, since the other Aris were currently watching a fight between Clayface and Solomon Grundy in the nearby gymnasium.

Then he dismissed the notion.

"The Syndicate likely is the final piece of the proverbial puzzle," Luthor said, grabbing her, turning her around and holding her arms. "When they arrive, we will strike a deal with them."

"Ultraman doesn't deal!" she said, looking away so Luthor couldn't see her disappointment in him, that he wouldn't fight the bastards. "Not over me."

"I said WE will strike a deal with them," he pressed. "Not the others carousing in the gym. You and I."

Katelyn's lust simmered below her smile.

"It was my misfortune that on my world, I was stuck with a sissy like Ari David," she purred. "If only you had infiltrated the morgue. Kent never would've had gotten to kill Gibbs. We would've ruled the world...we still can."

She traced a path with her fingertip on his body, from his chin on down.

Ari Luthor was all business.

"Work first, then pleasure."

**Outside the Carrier**

Kalel and Kal-El simply could not find a way into the Carrier, although their super senses could tell dozens of people were inside.

The question was how to get to them.

Then, both Kryptonians heard an awful, dark, morose, evil melody. Superman of Earth-222 flew to where the dark carrier was, and saw the Syndicate's bubble entering the ship. Then he flew back quickly towards the Carrier, and where the JLA's protective bubble was orbiting nearby.

Kal-El explained what he saw. And it gave Kalel an idea.

"Of course!" Kal-El said. "It's just a matter of finding the right frequency."

"No, Superman. The right melody," Kalel replied, as both Men of Steel entered the JLA's bubble. Kalel reengineered the data drive onboard the bubble, rearranging various noises in what he hoped would be the correct melody. He then instructed Batman on how to turn it into a signal, and beam it at an entry point where he and Kal-El thought the people were.

The melody didn't do the trick like the Owlman's did with the Dark Carrier...but it was heard on the other side.

"RAO!" Superwoman said, excitedly. "Kal's trying to get through to us!"


	12. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Tim McGee (Challengers of the Unknown) and Eric Beale (Justice League Los Angeles) examine Harbinger's personal handheld computer, they uncover a list of alternate universes where they and the Kates - and the Aris - hail from.

**Chapter 11**

**The Carrier**

 

“You two find anything on that device?” said Gibbs to his agent, Tim McGee, and the Justice League Los Angeles team’s technical expert, Eric Beale (also known as Virtua-Wave).

 

“Still working, Agent Gibbs,” Beale said.

 

“Work faster,” Gibbs said, impatiently, as he looked towards where the Healers were working on Harbinger, and made his way over there to check on her.

 

McGee shrugged his shoulders, as he had heard that a thousand times.

 

“I’m going to try another line of code, and see if that does anything,” Beale said, entering it into the system’s hard drive; moments later, it beeped, and graphics, words and numerals lept from the device.

 

McGee and Beale were joined by Hetty Lange, Nell Jones (Cyclone), Challenger Abby and Dr. Mallard, a Kate Todd in a 1972 civilian outfit and a chimp in a suit and overcoat, and Beppo, the Kryptonian gorilla whom consisted one-quarter of the so-called Super Pets.

 

“Good work, fellas,” said Detective “Ape” Chimp. “This is somethin’ outta that Stanley Kubrick movie. 2001.”

 

Beppo gently moved some of the letters and numbers, which quickly moved back into place on their invisible grid. “This is a 3-D operating system. Words are in English, forming a Start Menu of sorts…there are icons, too.”

 

“That’s a computer?” said “Angel” Kate Todd. “Don’t they take up entire floors of buildings?”

 

“Not this one, babe,” said Ape.

 

“Look there. That’s a menu,” Beale said. “Let’s see what’s on it.”

 

McGee pushed on the word, and more words, and avatars for files came up.

 

“Somebody get Kara, Wondie and Gibbs,” Beppo said. “I’ll scan with my superspeed vision to see what might be useful.” Moments later, he pointed to one file. “Let’s start here.”

 

He pushed on the avatar, and a list appeared.

 

Earths 0-51 - The New 52 ( _from which of those Earths are 53 through infinity tied to? 0? 33?_ )

11 - Lorraine Jeraldine Gibbs, Karl Todd, Toni DiNozzo, Andy Sciuto, Teri McGee, Ari David

26 - Kat Todd, Tony DuckNozzo

100 - Captain Comet (Kate Todd)

101 - Agent Liberty (Tony DiNozzo) and Miss America (Kate Todd)

102 - Kate "Snapper" Todd

103 - Catwoman (Caitlin Todd)

104 - Metamorpho (Tony DiNozzo) and Element Woman (Kate Todd)

105 - Kate Marvel (Caitlin Todd)

106 - Kate "Strange" (Kate Todd); unofficial Earth ambassador to Rann

107 - Angel (Kate Todd) and the Ape (Detective Chimp)

 

“That’s us, Ape,” said Angel Kate. “There’s our pictures. Wow…you can reach out and touch them. They look so real.”

“In 3-D Technicolor, or whatever passes for it on that thing,” Ape replied.

 

108 - Black Orchid (Kate Todd)

109 - Robin (Kate Todd)

110 - Elongated Woman (Kate Todd) and Tony DiNozzo

111 - Firestorm (Kate Todd, Abby Sciuto)

112 - Jonah Hex (Mike Franks, late 19th/early 20th century)

113 - Swamp Thing (Caitlin Todd)

114 - Hawkwoman (Kate Todd-Hol), Hawkman (Katar Hol)

115 - Zatanna II (Kate Todd)

116 - Batwoman (Caitlin Todd)

117 - Booster Gold (Kate Todd, blond)

118 - Green Arrow (Kate Todd, blond)

119 - Miss Martian (K'aitl'n, Kate Todd)

120 - Superwoman (Kara Zor-El/Juliana "Julie" Fern Todd, blond), Super Pets (Toni the Superdog, Beppo the Superape, Comet the Superstallion, Stinky the Supercat)

121 - Blackhawks (Kate Todd, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Tony DiNozzo, Tim McGee, Abby Sciuto, Ducky Mallard, Jimmy Palmer, Christopher Pacci, G Callen, Paula Cassidy, Michelle Lee, Sam Hanna)

122 - The Guardian (Kate Todd)

123 - Black Lightning (Caitlin Todd), Superman (Calvin Ellis/Kalel), Wonder Woman (Nubia)

124 - Dove (Kate Todd), Hawk (Leroy Jethro Gibbs)

125 - Animal Woman (Kate "Buddy" Todd)

126 - Wonder Girl (Katie Todd)

127 - Colossal Girl (Kayt Tod), Legion of Super-Heroes

130 - Red Lantern (Kate Todd), Red Son (Kon-El), Superman (Kal-El); People's League

144 - Captain Atom (Caitlin Todd)

166 - Blue Jay (Kate Todd), Justifiers (Americommando, Wandijina, Silver Sorceress, Jack B. Quick), the Four Challengers, the Meta-Men, etc.

167 – Captain Marvel (Kate Todd), a member of the Avengers, on a world with a Justice League, a Titans, and also the X-Men and Fantastic Four, and individual heroes like Spider-Man

185 - Dream Girl (Kate Tod), Legion of Super-Heroes

189 - Ice (Kate Todd), Justice League (Max Lord, Guy Gardner, Fire, Booster Gold, Blue Beetle)

200 - Liberty Belle (Kate Todd), All-Star Squadron, JSA; early 1940s

201 - Jade (Kate Todd), JSA, Infinity Inc.

202 - Gypsy (Kate Todd), "Detroit-era JLA"

203 - Aquawoman (Caitlin), Mera, JLA

204 - Sandwoman (Kate Todd), JSA

205 - Challengers of the Unknown (Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Kate Todd, Tony DiNozzo, Tim McGee, Ziva David, Abby Sciuto, Ducky Mallard, Jimmy Palmer, Paula Cassidy; DEO Director Jenny Shepard)

 

“That’s us,” McGee said as Gibbs, Challenger Kate and the rest of their team came over to examine the file.

 

206 - Quark4 (Paula Cassidy)

207 - Kate Kent (married to Clark Kent/Superman)

208 - The Flash (Kate Todd, blond, works for Indianapolis PD as CSI, with detectives Gibbs, DiNozzo, McGee, etc.)

209 - Red Tornado (Kate Todd, robot built after death of Caitlin Todd)

210 - Nightwing (Kate Grayson)

211 - Black Canary (Kate Todd)

212 - The Atom (Kate Todd)

213 - Metal Men, led by Dr. Jethro Gibbs (Gold - Tony; Platinum - Kate; Mercury - Palmer; Lead - Hanna; Mercury - Ziva; Iron - Callen)

214 - The Huntress (Kate Todd); Infinity Inc.; JSA

215 - Amethyst (Caitlin Todd)

216 - Blue Beetle (Kate Todd), Booster Gold (Tony DiNozzo)

217 - Princess Projectra (Caitlin), Legion of Super Heroes

218 - Dr. Mid-Nite (Ducky Mallard)

219 - Dial H For Hero (Kate Todd has the Hero Dial)

220 - Starwoman (Kate Todd)

221 - Raven (Kate Todd), Titans

222 - Green Lantern (Kate Todd); Grant Morrison-era Justice League, mid-90s DC Universe

223 - the Excelsiors (all deceased); the Monitor (Gibbs) and Harbinger (clone of Excelsior Kate) hail from this universe

224 - Brainiac Kate

225 - Speedy (Katie Todd)

226 - Wonder Woman III (Caitlin)

227 - Chameleon Girl (Qayt Thoadt) Legion of Super Heroes

250 - The Engineer (Kate), The Justice Authority

264 - Elasti-Girl (Kate), Doom Patrol

280 - Cyborg (Kate Todd)

282 - Dr. Mid-Nite (Donald "Ducky" Mallard), JSA

289 - Fire (Kate Todd), Ice, Guy Gardner, Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Captain Marvel, Max Lord

292 - Oracle (Kate Todd)

299 - Karate Kid (Kate Todd), Teen Titans and Legion of Super-Heroes

300 - Ari Luthor

306 - Talon (Kate Todd), Young Offenders

310 - Overgirl (Kate Todd), Overman, Justice Gods

319 - Saturn Girl (Kate Todd), Legion of Titans

322 - the dark Harbinger (Ari)

323 - Superwoman (Kaitlyn Todd), Crime Syndicate of Amerika (Ultraman, Owlman, Sea King, White Martian Mankiller, Power Ring, Johnny Quick)

 

“At least now, we know the composition of our enemy,” Wonder Woman said. “We can prepare for battle.”

“Hope somebody brought some Kryptonite,” Flash remarked.

 

400 - Peacemaker (Kate Todd)

401 - Apparition (Kate Todd), Legion of Super-Heroes reservist (as teen), NCIS (as adult)

404 - The Question (Det. Caitlin Todd)

416 - Supergirl (Kat Jor-El, Kate Todd)

 

“There’s another Supergirl on board?” several said, and the answer was without exception “find her”

 

419 - Captain Marvel (Kate Todd)

422 - Caitlin Kent (married to older Superman in Kingdom Come-esque world)

501 - Rose and the Thorn (Kate Todd in both guises)

585 - Madame Xanadu (Kate Todd)

590 - Fairchild (Kate Todd)

616 - the Marvel Universe

619 - Moon Maiden (Kate Todd)

620 - Bronze Lion (Leon Vance)

623 - Doctor Fate (Jim Palmer)

661 - Tarantula (Kate Todd) in Marvel analogue universe

666 - Bane (Ari)

680 - Jokester (Ari)

704 - Deadshot (Ari Haswari)

720 – Dr. Maura Isles and the Healers and their Boston-based special forces friends, plus such special forces units as Hawaii Five-0 and Task Force X

750 - Dr. Psycho (Ari Haswari)

805 - Riddler (Ari Haswari)

826 - Captain Steel (Leroy Jethro Gibbs)

873 - Agent Liberty (Kate Todd)

898 - Ziva of the Blackhawks

918 - Katmandi, Kate in post-apocalyptic world; Dr. Ducky, Tony Tiger, Jethro Boxer

919 - post-atomic war world; The Atomic Knights (Gibbs, Kate, Tony, McGee, Ziva, Abby, Ducky, Palmer, others)

926 - Yankee Poodle (Kate Todd), Earth-26-esque universe

1005  – Justice League Los Angeles (The Human Target - G Callen; Thorn - Kensi Blye; Golden Arrow - Marty Deeks; UltraSEAL - Sam Hanna; Virtua Wave - Eric Beale; Red Tornado - Hetty Lange; Cyclone - Nell Jones; Roborg - Dominic Vail)

 

“And that accounts for us,” said Beale, as Hetty, Callen and the rest of their team looked on.

 

1006 - McGee, master of the Internet; Doom Patrol

1026 - "Wonder Wabbit"/Wonder Woman (Kate Todd); JLA

1223 - Deadwoman (Kate Todd)

1989 - Death (Abigail); Morpheus

 

“I don’t think all these people are here, certainly none of the Aris,” Beale said.

 

“Not yet,” Wonder Woman replied.

 

“That list go any higher than 1989?” Green Lantern asked; Beale shook his head.

 

Gibbs and Wonder Woman looked at Beale and McGee. “Check harder—“

 

Everyone turned their heads. “Bossy, aintcha?” Hawkwoman remarked.

 

Hetty placed herself between the Challengers team leader and the Amazon Princess. “Mr. Beale, Agent McGee, please see if you can find any more information on these alternate realities,” she said. “Miss Jones can assist you as needed, and perhaps Mr. Beppo would be willing to lend a hand as well.”

 

“Sounds like a great idea,” said Batwoman, standing behind Gibbs and Wonder Woman. “Let them alone to do their jobs.”

 

Both turned to glare at the Dark Damsel, who merely smiled in response, then both turned to glare at Hetty.

 

“Works for me,” both finally said, as everyone resumed their business.


	13. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Syndicate meets its first member of Dark Harbinger's team, while a couple of Kates secretly held captive aboard the Dark Carrier escape.

**Chapter 11**

**The Dark Carrier**

 

Minutes after the Dark Harbinger left the ship via the so-called 'boom tube' - always loud, and always creating a disturbance within the large conference room the 'Aris' had congregated in - one of them leapt onto the main table, whistled, and tried to gain the group's attention.

 

They were distracted by the 'cage' match between Solomon Grundy and Clayface in a cage conjured up by Sinestro.

 

So the Ari Haswari known as Monarch tore through the back wall and down dozens of rooms, before finding a large hallway, leading to another room where he stashed his precious prizes:

 

The Supergirl of Earth-416, and the Dr. Fate of Earth-590, both known on their homeworlds as Caitlin Rose Todd. Supergirl had been bound and attached to a device harvesting her blood, with iron kryptonite immobilizing her, and Fate was bound and gagged, her helmet of Nabu laying helplessly nearby.

 

Every day after he overpowered them on the way to the Dark Carrier, he took the Eucharist pill the machine developed from Supergirl's blood, and took it, giving him her powers for 24 hours. He looked for a psychic that could read minds and unlock Nabu's hold over Fate's mind, his intent being to steal her knowledge and claim it for himself.

 

In whatever new universal order Dark Harbinger heralded, Monarch intended to reign supreme over his domain.

 

But when he got to that secret room, he saw Supergirl unhooked from her machine, and six  beasts waiting on him.

 

"Looking for something?" said Owlman, smirking, his arms folded.

 

"WHERE IS SHE," screamed the Ultraman, so loudly he could be heard by everyone - including the others in the far conference room - and it caused the machine to split in two.

 

The portion where Supergirl had been ripped from her bonds could be fixed, and the machine itself be repaired. If Monarch had another dose of Eucharist, and another 24 hours to work unhampered, neither which he'd get because of whatever these bastards did.

 

Ultraman dropped the slowly recovering Supergirl on the floor - the iron kryptonite that immobilized her was tossed down the hall, away from the room - and four of the other, Justice League-esque brutes began pounding their fists into their palms, following Ultraman's lead.

 

Owlman, the sixth member of the Crime Syndicate, passed. He was too busy putting the helmet of Nabu back on Fate's head.

 

"Do you know what you've done...what you're doing?" Monarch said, projecting anger and confidence while betraying a hint of fear - the first he had since Army Colonel Merton Bell; Navy Admiral John McGee; Air Force Colonel Jack O'Neill and Marine Corps Colonel William Ryan enacted Operation Kingdom Come at President Josiah Bartlet's order.

 

It nearly cost Monarch his life. Now he was thinking how to get out of this mess.

 

He decided fighting was his best option. It was the last mistake he'd ever make.

 

On Owlman's order, Power Ring and Johnny Quick stood back while Ultraman, Martian Mankiller and Sea King triple-teamed Monarch. Ring saw Dr. Fate pick up Supergirl and try to sneak out; Owlman gripped Quick's forearm as he moved to stop them.

 

"Let them go," Owlman said, quietly, as Fate carried Supergirl out of the room. "I told you to let them go, so Ultraman's not going to kill you. And they make things more interesting than this pretender."

 

As the Syndicate trio began to get the best of Monarch, Supergirl tore herself out of Fate's arms and began to stumble, then walk, on her own.

 

"Can you make it?" Fate asked her.

 

"I think so, maybe 30 more seconds," Supergirl said, as her telescopic vision kicked in. She looked the other way down the hall, and saw several men who looked like Ari and dressed like members of her JLA members' rogues galleries.

 

Then she looked back on the battle she and Fate just fled, as Ultraman delivered its final blows. "We need to get off this ship. Away from them" -- the Syndicate -- "and them" - the other villains she saw.

 

"Monarch's gloating after our abduction may serve useful after all," Fate mused. "When he took the Eucharist for the first time, his increased intelligence tempered his arrogance, and informed his decision to be quiet and not give away his secrets--"

 

"Oh Rao!" Supergirl said, as she and Fate saw a yellowish blur zoom towards them and stop six feet from their position, revealing itself as a man wearing the Reverse Flash's costume.

 

He tore off his mask, revealing himself as an Ari Haswari.

 

"Caitlin, and Caitlin," he said. "Some call me the Reverse Flash, some call me Zoom. You may call me Ari--"

 

At that moment, a blue blur flew from the nearby room, and a moment later it revealed itself as Ultraman, blood splatter on his uniform and cape.

 

"And I want to know where SHE is!" he bellowed, as the rest of the Crime Syndicate moved to join him.

 

Fate and Supergirl warily eyed both men.

 

"I don't think I can get us out of this," the Woman of Steel admitted. "You--"

 

"--Have a plan," Fate said, casting her palms out towards Zoom and Ultraman.

 

"O light of Amon-Ra, blind our enemies! O power of Isis and Bast, protect us as we make our escape!"

 

Light flooded the hallway, as Fate pulled off her helmet long enough to pull out a Apokoliptian Mother Box hidden in one of its mystical crevices, and while putting the helmet back on, produced a mini boom tube enough for the two of them to pass through.

 

"Hold on!" Fate said, grabbing Supergirl by the hand and leaping into the portal. Owlman - the first to regain his sight - moved to stop them, but they were long gone.

 

"Where are they? How did they get the drop on us?" Ultraman said. "You!" - pointing to Zoom - "what did you do with them?"

 

"My compatriots and I were going to ask you the same question," Zoom said. "All one hundred of us."

 

**Outside the Dark Carrier**

**Above Earth-223**

 

Fate and Supergirl rested in a mystical cocoon 23,500 miles above the alternate Earth's surface, and Fate began plotting how to keep the cocoon from burning up as it reentered the planet's atmosphere.

 

"I don't think you'll have to worry about that," Supergirl said. "I see something on the other side - look!"

 

The ship resembled the Dark Carrier in shape, but came off as brighter. "That is our destination," Fate said. "I sense great justice there, even from this distance. However, I will need time to understand how to make this device transport us there."

 

"And if we land in a sea of psychos?"

 

"Then YOU will enable our escape."

 

"Touche," Supergirl said. "But if you make this cocoon a little more solid, I can get us there no time at all. And I can look in with my telescopic and x-ray vision, and make sure that's a place we want to flee to."

 

Fate did just that, and Supergirl began pushing the bubble faster and faster towards the other carrier.

 

**Who’s Who**

**Monarch (Ari Haswari of Earth-945)**

 

Haswari's origin was the same as on the Prime Earth and so many others, but here, he never met Gibbs' NCIS team.

 

He set his sights higher.

 

Bred to be a counter agent within the terrorist groups threatening his father's native Israel, Haswari was secretly recruited by American intelligence agencies for similar duties. Lying to both his father and to the Americans, Haswari aligned himself with Kobra, which tasked him with killing the American Air Force's superhuman, Captain Atom.

 

After killing him and taking his powers, Haswari and Kobra began a long campaign against the West, resulting in the deaths of several prominent American and Western superheroes and millions of American, European, Israeli, Australian and Japanese civilians. The Allies finally got the better of him, but Haswari narrowly avoided death by leaping into the dimension of Earth-946, which had been taken over by a unknown supervillain named Golgoth. After killing Golgoth and his elite guard (thereby throwing Earth-946 into chaos), Monarch was found by the Dark Harbinger.

 

Before leaving for the Carrier, Monarch took the device Golgoth used to harvest the blood of his world's greatest hero (Endymion) and develop a drug that gave a user a large array of powers on a 24-hour basis. The drug was also highly addictive, and the user had to return to Golgoth daily to get another daily fix.

 

Unknown to all but three other Aris, Monarch convinced Dark Harbinger to take two Kates the other Harbinger was searching for - the Supergirl/Superwoman of Earth-416, and Dr. Fate of Earth-595. Monarch wanted to use Supergirl as his Endymion substitute, and network with a psychic he assumed would be part of Dark Harbinger's group, to mine Dr. Fate's mind for her magical abilities.

 

Monarch killed the psychic, as well as the villain named Kobra Kommander and the self-proclaimed high priest of Trigon, for threatening to blackmail him and spill Supergirl and Dr. Fate's existence aboard the Dark Carrier to the others.


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**The Carrier**

 

The newcomers were introduced and reunited with their friends and allies - Green Lantern with the JLA, and Kalel with Black Lightning.

 

"Nubia must be tearing up the multiverse trying to find you - and me," Black Lightning said of her and Kalel’s universe's Wonder Woman. As deputy chairperson of the Justice League, she would be leading the investigation into the disappearance of the man who was their world’s greatest hero, the President of the United States and the chairperson of the JLA.

 

"Wonder Woman is many things, and not just a warrior," Kalel replied. "Her theories uncovered the multiverse for us, and allowed us to verify Dr. Holt's grant theory. Her suggestion to search in the harmony of spheres, where voices sing in rhapsody sublime, DID get me onto this…vessel.”

 

“Now all you have to do, Superman, is find a way off this thing,” Lightning said. “It’s like a jail.”

 

“I’ll admit, I’m mystified by our inability to escape the boundaries surrounding the vessel,” Kalel said. “Everyone who can do so is working on a solution. As much of an enigma as it is, Caitlin, this ship is also our haven.”

 

The 'ship' the Kates and their allies were in may have become their safe haven and headquarters, but it also had its share of mysteries. Even with super-speed, the Superpeople, the Flashes and other speedsters were having a hard time covering the entire complex, much less all the nooks and crannies.

 

Flash and Kid Flash found themselves out of breath, and were ordered to the infirmary, where they were checked by Dr. Isles and Dr. Mallard.

 

"Ohmigod...I haven't run that far...that fast, since Trigon took...control of Starro," Kid Flash said, panting. "I thought my power...came from within ME...crap."

 

"Lie down, and relax," Dr. Isles said to her, guiding her to a bunk. "No talking. Just rest."

 

"You don't know about the speed force?" Flash said.

 

"Barry never sa...said anything--" Kid Flash replied, before Dr. Isles gently put a finger over the younger woman's lips.

 

Dr. Mallard sat down next to Flash, who was resting on her own bunk. "Caitlins, the speed force, if I understand the concept correctly, is an extra-dimensional energy field that grants those who access it the ability of superspeed, along with other extraordinary abilities: flight, intangibility. The ability to throw a Superman-esque punch by using superspeed combined with mass. Regrowth of muscle. Extrasensory perception. It reminds me..."

 

"Ducky, sorry," said Flash. "I don't mean to go all Detective Gibbs on you. It's just...I thought my stamina would go longer than this..."

 

"Caitlin," Dr. Isles said. "Your energy levels seem to be increasing, slightly, as you rest. Don't talk, don't move any more than necessary, for the next hour--"

 

"The next hour?" Kid Flash said. "These psychos might show up any time."

 

"Then we will deal with that if and when it happens," Dr. Isles replied. "Dr. Mallard, I meant to ask you. Do you have a copy of the journal article you referenced on the speed force, or at least the abstract? I'd like--"

 

Dr. Mallard's attention was drawn elsewhere, to one of their other patients: the eldest Superman - Superwoman's cousin - who arrived at the Carrier near comatose. Now, he was walking around.

 

"Doctors, is there anything I can help with?" said the Man of Steel, from a world that was a cultural hybrid of the 1960s, 70s and 80s. "I'm on the stick."

 

"I'm sorry?" Dr. Isles said. "I don't see a stick near you. Nor, for that matter, a needle. In fact, Dr. Chang attempted to draw a blood sample from you, and her needle broke; we had to ask Superwoman to pierce your skin--"

 

"Maura, our Kryptonian friend is using a figure of speech I remember as a child, although primarily by Americans, and not used in England where I was raised. It means pulled together, feeling bright and cheerful," Ducky interjected. "Kal-El, are you feeling 'on the stick' as it were?"

 

"I am," he said, "and ready to help out. If our speedster ladies here will be close to normal in an hour, I should be close to normal myself. The rejuvenation chamber - especially the yellow sunray simulator, is it called? - has done wonders for me."

 

“Then if you do not mind, I would like to take your vitals,” Dr. Isles said, walking over to the eldest Man of Steel. “If your vitals are within the normal range – as the other Supermen and Dr. Mallard and I determined it to be – then you can walk around. Provided you check in with me in a hour.”

 

“I’ll do that, Dr. Isles,” he said. “I feel my get up and go returning….and I have a feeling I’m going to need every ounce of it soon.”

 

Elsewhere, Tony DiNozzo had been walking around the auditorium, trying to chat up every version of Kate he ran into. After being ignored three straight times, by five different versions of Kate, Tony began milling around, mumbling to himself.

 

“Am I really that much of an ass?” he muttered. “That Gypsy woman…I only showed Kate that wet T-shirt photo, wasn’t like I put it up on the web for everybody to see—“

 

Tony, distracted by his own monologue, ran straight into a giant foot. He looked up, and saw a version of Kate who, literally, was larger than life.

 

And for the first time in a long time, he was speechless, staring open-mouthed at the woman standing, then squatting, above him. His comrades in the Challengers of the Unknown could not resist the opportunity to tease him about it.

 

"Tony," began Ziva. "I did not know you were into...super plus sized women."

 

"Oh, Tony's liked big women for as long as I've known him," Abby continued.

 

"Boobs. Big boobs," said Kate - the Challengers teammate Tony had known for the past few years. "Usually, that's the first thing he notices."

 

"Apparently, that's not the only thing Tony's noticed," said Paula Cassidy. "There's more to a woman than...boobs...you know."

 

"Yes. Like eyes." Ziva.

 

Abby: "And brains."

 

Kate: "Courage, integrity...I'm sure if Tony could understand her, he'd see she had all those inner qualities that matter the most."

 

Paula: "But all he's probably seeing is her...knees."

 

Abby: "Maybe it's her ponytail...which I gotta admit, is freakin’ awesome, but it's as big AS a pony."

 

Ziva: "Apparently, Tony is mesmerized by...super-tall women."

 

Kate: "Women as tall as a six-story building."

 

Tony still had said nothing, as his jaw was hanging wide open, looking at a woman who, when standing up, nearly reached to the ceiling of the Carrier's auditorium. She wore a red and blue sleeveless outfit, with a black, circular belt buckle overlaid with a yellow 'L'. Her ring had the same 'L' symbol.

 

"What's her name, Tony?" Kate whispered, as he stared at the smiling giantess, now squatting agai in front of the group. DiNozzo didn't respond.

 

"Her name, guys, sounds like Kate's but is spelled a little differently in English," Abby said. "K-a-y-t. T-o-d. And she, according to the roster, is a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes."

 

"And she is from the 30th century," Ziva said.

 

Kayt then reached out, and with the tip of her forefinger, patted Tony lightly on his head. She grinned, then winked at the women next to him.

 

"I bet she knows him, or a version of him," Paula said. "Maybe they work together?...or maybe he's her Booster Gold."

 

"Tony as Booster Gold?" Kate said. "Blue Beetle told me about her DiNozzo. She said he was as insufferable as that Michael Carter guy we ran into a couple of months ago."

 

"I have an idea!" Abby said. "Someone find Saturn Girl. She can translate for us."

 

"Don't need one."

 

All four women turned around, hearing the voice of Gibbs, the Challengers' leader. He put an earpiece in his right ear, and began talking in a vaguely familiar language with the giant woman known as Colossal Girl.

 

To Abby, Kate and Ziva’s ears – and to those of McGee, who joined the group – the language, Interlac, sounded like a mix of English, Mandarin, Spanish, French and babble. Yet, Gibbs and Colossal Girl were talking just fine, even though Kate noticed his mouth didn’t quite match up with his words.

 

Then Gibbs lightly headslapped Tony, shaking him out of his daze.

 

"Sorry, boss," Tony replied, addressing his boss, then looking upwards at a smiling Colossal Girl. "She's....big."

 

"Put this in your ear, and talk to her yourself, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, motioning for the other Challengers to follow him. "I'll give ya five minutes, then meet us back at the ship...and DiNozzo. She's married."

 

Tony considered that for a moment, then introduced himself. "Ah...hello. I'm very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, CotU, DEO, USA...but you probably knew that...sorry for looking like an ass."

 

"Don't worry, Tony," said Kayt. "I'm pleased to meet you."

 

"And likewise," he said. "So you're from the 30th century. And a Legionnaire. And married?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Okay...let me guess." He named himself, Gibbs, Stan Burley, G Callen, Tim Kerry, random guys his Kate had dated, and even Ducky. Kayt shook her head to all of them.

 

"Then who?"

 

"Tym Micghye. T-y-m M-i-c-g-h-y-e."

 

"Okay...big t, y, little m, big m, little i, big c, little g, h...y...e....hey...waitaminute...you married Probie???"

 

Close by, the Challengers, including Agent McGee, chuckled.

 

The meeting at the Shannon and Kelly was convened by Gibbs, Wonder Woman and Batwoman, with the purpose of setting up formal leadership. It was agreed that someone had to organize the diverse group and lead it, and after an hour of animated discussion, a consensus had been reached on the team leaders:  
  
Gibbs (Challengers of the Unknown, Earth-205)  
  
Batman (Bruce Wayne/Batman, Earth-222)  
  
Batwoman (Caitlin Todd, Earth-120)  
  
Wonder Woman (Caitlin, Earth-226)  
  
Superman (Kalel/Calvin Ellis, Earth-123)  
  
The leaders then selected members, attempting to keep the teams as equal as possible. For example, no team would have more than one Kryptonian-level member. The JLA from Earth-222 was split up, as were the Challengers. A medical unit, headed by Drs. Mallard and Isles, would serve all five teams.  
  
The order of business then turned to the subject of what exactly to expect. No one knew whether the Aris would come to the Carrier, or if the Kates would be transported to the planet below or to an unknown destination.

 

While the leaders were developing contingency plans, Abby Sciuto reported a breakthrough of sorts: the Flashes apparently had regained limited access to the Speed Force. They had began to recuperate, and were already jogging around without loss of energy.  
  
Lantern also reported making contact with the Green Lantern Corps of Earth-223; the Guardians promised only to send an agent to investigate. Kate Marvel yelled 'SHAZAM' numerous times, but not only did not change but wasn't able to establish contact with the wizard Shazam from her home universe.  
  
The incursion along a wall of the auditorium that occurred shortly after wasn't unexpected, but everyone assumed the worst.  
  
They were as surprised to see the two women passing into the Carrier, as those women were surprised to see everyone prepared for battle.  
  
"Hold on! Hold on!" yelled the brown-haired, pony-tailed woman known as Supergirl, garbed in a blue top and tights and red boots and cape. "We're allies. Allies!"  
  
"By Nabu!" said the other woman, wearing the familiar-to-many uniform of the hero Dr. Fate, complete with Nabu's helmet. "Listen to her. We are allies, and we bear important news."  
  
Wonder Woman whipped out her sword, ready to fight. "If you were sent here by that bastard Ari--" Two of the three Supermen - Kalel, and Superwoman's cousin - both put their hands on the blade and cautioned the Amazon to hear the duo out.  
  
"Ohmigod," Supergirl said. "We're NOT with Ari, okay? I've been held by one of him, in this...thing...and he made something called Eucharist out of my--"  
  
"Caitlin," Dr. Fate interjected. "Monarch is no longer a threat to you, to any of us. The rest of them are...and we need to make the acquaintance of our new allies--"  
  
"I'll say," said Lantern, who, along with Superwoman, Hawkwoman, Power Woman, Kate Marvel, Kate Strange and others, were hovering in the air. The two Kal-Els joining them briefly added to Supergirl and Fate's confusion, but all were guided to the floor to meet the leaders, and introduce themselves to the rest of the group.  
  
Fate and Supergirl told their stories and provided important intel on the Dark Carrier and the so-called Dark Harbinger, as well as the Aris' likely plan of attack.  
  
"They're coming over here," Batman said. "That gives us two potential advantages, in that we know this ship better than they would, and we can use that to set up offensive positions--"  
  
"It would be nice to be able to get outside this ship to see where this 'Dark Carrier' is," Superwoman mused. "I can't leave. Kal, Kal and Kalel have tried, too. Lantern can't break past this barrier."  
  
"The barrier, as comprehensive as it is, is weakening," Fate said. "We were able to get in--"  
  
"How do we know Harbinger didn't let you in?" Batwoman said.  
  
"We don't," Gibbs interjected. "They're here, and friendly. That's good enough for me."  
  
"And for me," said Kalel. "I want to peel away from the leadership group, to assist our doctors in reviving Harbinger. I may be a politician in my civilian guise, but I do have a scientific background. If I put my expertise with Dr. Mallard's and Dr. Isles, we may be able to find a way to awaken her from her coma."  
  
"I'll volunteer as well," said Superman, Superwoman's cousin. "I had passed along some ideas to the University of Metropolis team conducting research on comas back home."  
  
"If only I had the purple healing ray from Themyscria with us," Wonder Woman said. "Perhaps if we add Dr Fate and Zatanna, and Dream Girl's futuristic expertise, we can sooner come to a conclusion."  
  
"Dreamy's already working with the docs," Superwoman said. "But if we revive her, who's to say she'll be able to fight--"  
  
"No choice," Gibbs said. "We can't afford to leave her in the infirmary. Not when we'll have our hands full, and when she'll be their prime target. We don't have the personnel to peel off a dozen or so people just to guard her."  
  
"And where are YOU getting your information, Gibbs?" Wonder Woman challenged him.   
  
"My gut," he replied. Before Wonder Woman could reply, Batman held up a hand to them both.  
  
"Roll with it," Batman said. "Agent Gibbs is right. We need Harbinger in the fight." The Dark Knight turned to the microphone borrowed from the Shannon and Kelly's utility room and spoke to the Kates. "Anyone with expertise, powers, who can help Harbinger out of her coma, to the infirmary. The rest of us, will continue preparations."  
  
 **The Dark Carrier**  
  
"What a load of space crap!" Ultraman bellowed, looking at the remains of Monarch's machine, the pieces tossed into a giant pile on top of the table in the main conference room.

 

Several of the Aris looked at one another in confusion and frustration, others looked on in amusement, some in annoyance. Owlman - like Ultraman, a member of the Crime Syndicate and not an Ari doppelganger - shook his head.  
  
"We could have gained vital intelligence, and information!" countered Sinestro, whose yellow power ring was glowing, ready for use in battle. "Did you forget your precious motto? What was it, 'Cui Bono’? ‘Who profits?’ Did you lose sight of how that machine could have profited you???"  
  
The Maniac of Steel turned to Sinestro, who in his home universe headed the thousands-strong Sinestro Corps. Kal-Ul’s eyes glowed red, his fists balled up, and he growled through his grinding teeth. Sinestro, in turn, calmly enveloped himself in a yellow shield, and took up a fighting position.  
  
Ari Luthor moved to intervene, for the fifth time since the Syndicate met the larger group, when the Dark Harbinger appeared out of nowhere.  
  
The dark figure hovered for several seconds, then lowered himself to the ground, and remained silent.  
  
"Well?" sneered the Martian Mankiller. "Do you have something to say?"  
  
"Jon'n. Let the man speak," Ultraman said, in a rare moment of caution, though Kal-Ul's frustration was obvious to all.  
  
Moments later, the Dark Harbinger spoke.  
  
"It is time," he said. "Time to begin battle with the enemy. To begin, and to swiftly end it."  
  
That brought up a collective shout from the group; even all but one of the Syndicate members were ready for battle - including Superwoman, who had made a point to stay by Luthor's side.

 

Dark Harbinger nodded to Luthor, who took his time walking to the front of the group. Luthor detested taking orders from anyone, including one of Darkseid’s minions, but abided him anyway. Luthor looked at his lieutenants, nodded, and the men known as Deadshot; Deathstroke; Sinestro; and Ari Savage stepped forward.

 

Moments later, Ultraman began moving towards the leaders, then stopped when Dark Harbinger put himself in his way.

“I do NOT know you,” Ultraman bellowed. “I am the leader of the Crime Syndicate and we take NO orders from anyone. WE lead, others follow.”

 

Dark Harbinger looked at Luthor, who glanced over at a smiling Owlman, standing between Luthor and Superwoman.

 

“I was happy to represent the Syndicate’s interests,” Owlman finally said. “And to suggest that your leadership would come in handy doing the heavy lifting of this…project.”

 

Ultraman steamed, not sure who he was supposed to be the angriest at: Owlman for ursurping his authority; Superwoman for cavorting with that Ari David wannabe Luthor and for putting her hands all over the Dark Owl’s posterior; this Dark Harbinger for abducting his woman and making the Syndicate travel through the dimensions to find her – and with little profit to be made;

 

Or at Ari Luthor for stealing her lust, and her heart.

 

He was Ultraman, and would deal with them all after they tore through the weak, spineless, females Harbinger had them here for.

  
  
Owlman – who agreed to lead a Syndicate-only unit, that for now would include Superwoman – had his own misgivings.

 

The Syndicate couldn’t back out now, though. Owlman thought there was too much potential profit to be made from this unexpected venture. He figured he could think his way around anything this Dark Harbinger, or Luthor, or the other Aris could come up with.

 

“Cover your ears, and eyes,” Dark Harbinger abruptly announced. “It will lessen the impact from the arrival of the boom tube.”

 

As the others asked aloud what in hell a boom tube was, Superwoman leaned towards the Dark Owl.

 

“That’s our ticket off this ship,” she whispered, as Ultraman – two dozen feet away – struggled to hear her with his Ultra Hearing. “A one way ticket to where those women are stationed.”

Owlman nodded. Like it or not, whatever it was that Harbinger had them here for was about to commence. 


	15. Chapter 14

**The Carrier**

 

Everyone had broken up into groups, making their final personal preparations for the upcoming battle.

 

Most of the Kates were praying the Rosary, reflecting their Roman Catholic backgrounds and faith. Some were evangelicals from different traditions, praying directly to God. One was Jewish (Colossal Girl), another Buddhist (Black Orchid), some had no religion at all.

 

All were hoping that they'd get back home alive, and that as many of their newfound friends as possible would get to do the same.

 

Afterwards, several of the heroes began quickly preparing the Shannon and Kelly as a command post. Gibbs had not yet had the difficult conversation with the Supermen of how to eliminate the threat of the Aris.

 

Gibbs saw the only way to resolve it was by a head shot. Both of the Kryptonians wanted to do anything other than kill. And the Batman was of the same mindset.

 

Gibbs could tell that many of the Kates were like-minded with the Supermen and the Dark Knight on the matter, as well.

 

He knew, based on what little he knew about Ari's doppelgangers and what he knew of his own Ari and about Darkseid, that these bastards would aim to kill. And everyone would be too busy to take away his pistol and lecture him about superheroes not killing.

 

One person, not surprisingly to him, had the same idea. He saw her sharpening her sword.

 

"If only Hera had seen fit to send a battalion of Amazons with me," said Wonder Woman Kate. "The Justice League's philosophies would be moot."

 

"No, they'd argue the same," Gibbs said. "They don't kill. They don't like killing."

 

"It is part of war," WW Kate replied. "The enemy kills and pillages. You have to kill him before he kills you. Many of these people have not seen warfare. They fight supervillains in cities, and pretend it is analogous to battle."

 

"They do fight supervillains, and their fights can get pretty bad, and people can get hurt," Gibbs said. "I've seen it on my own world."

 

"You have also seen war first-hand, on your world," she said. "You are a warrior. You have no illusions about the grandeur of battle, that sociopaths can be reasoned with. We're going into war against an army of sociopaths led by an immensely powerful being fighting on behalf of a supposedly evil entity I barely can comprehend."

 

"Yup," Gibbs said, reaching into his bag for his backup and reserve backup weapons. "Everyone else agrees with you - at least the last part."

 

"Obviously not the first part," WW Kate said. "Superman thinks he can knock them out, and bind them. I will not pursue that strategy." She held up her sword, sharp and gleaming.

 

"Neither will I or my team," Gibbs said, as he began cleaning his backup weapon. "Going for the head."

 

"A wise strategy," WW Kate said. "I for one will look for the head bastard, as it were. I want his head on the tip of my sword when we win."

 

Nearby, Superman of Earth-222 sat with the Green Lantern of his world. Both had overheard the conversation, Kate through Dr. Fate's magical backup power ring. Many of the Kates were a little leery of the mystic-based heroine, and some questioned her decision to use the backup; this Kate, however, was an agnostic, and concerned mainly with its usefulness in battle.

 

It was a battle she wished she didn't have to fight.

 

"Penny for your thoughts?" Superman said.

 

"Yeah," Green Lantern Kate replied. "You think they're right? About killing these...psychos."

 

"If you don't have to kill, don't," he said. "That's not born of naivete, Kate. I have real reasons I don't kill. So does Bruce, and the rest of the League."

 

"But what if it's unavoidable?" Kate said. "These don't sound like guys who want to throw you in a bottle and do some weird experiment. Or show you who's the bigger guy on the block. Nor lay out a bunch of clues to a murder to see if you'll tag him as the killer...did I ever tell you about the first time I met Ari?"

 

"No," Superman said. "At NCIS?"

 

"The morgue," she replied. "I could've killed him on the table. But he had kind eyes...I was misled by his eyes. Gibbs chewed me out for it, too. Reminded me the guy threatened a guard's family, and he killed an agent while escaping. Gibbs was obsessed with the guy, Clark. Or we thought he was...then he kidnapped me, and killed a Mossad agent right in front of me."

 

Clark was silent. He had seen plenty of criminals like Haswari in his career; he wondered if she should be having this conversation with Bruce.

 

"Then he showed up in that crazy Major Force suit, and caused me and the team all kinds of havoc," Kate continued. "He killed Abby...stuffed her in that refrigerator..." her voice trailed off. Clark knew Kate would never get over Abby's death.

 

"Gibbs and Bruce found him, though," Clark reminded her. "And brought him to justice. That's what we do, Kate. We uphold the good, by using our abilities and gifts to stand for justice."

 

Kate looked at Superman, who seemed so firm in his conviction.

 

She looked down at her power ring, in sleep mode. At least in her world, there were no Guardians to restrain her, no Green Lantern rules she had to abide by.

 

She wondered how much damage that thing could do, if she put her mind to it.

 

Her pondering was interrupted by a loud scream from a woman who had the worst nightmare of her life.

 

Dream Girl was, as best could be determined, a 30th-century descendant of Kate whose family had, in her distant past, found their way to a planet named Naltor.

 

Cate Tod was the most powerful precognitive on her world; that, and her skills as a profiler, got her into the prestigious Legion of Super-Heroes. When she was snatched from her universe, she had dreamed a vision of the LSH being dismantled by the Earth government after some event referred to as 'the black dawn'.

 

The bright blonde-haired Legionnaire woke up in the Carrier, found a lot of heroines who looked like her, and pondered why she didn't have any kind of vision about them or the Carrier or the villain who looked a lot like Deadshot from the Legion of Super Villains. She settled in with her other duplicates from their own Legions, while making friends with many heroines straight out of her Superboy and Wonder Girl's 20th century.

 

Two of the 'Kate Legionnaires' - Shrinking Violet and Wildfire - agreed to watch over her while she slept, and were the first to comfort her, even as her screams rang throughout the entire auditorium.

 

"Where's the Council of Five?" she shouted.

 

"Uh...you mean the Supermen and Bat--" Wildfire replied.

 

"Yes!" Dream Girl said, grabbing Wildfire's visor in her hands. "Kate! I know how those guys are going to attack! And they'll be here quickly!"

 

The 'council of five' made their way to her.

 

"I saw a wormhole - accompanied by a loud 'boom!' - in the back of the auditorium," she said, urgently. "Three of the villains came through, one speaking backwards ALL KATES DIE. Right afterwards the rest, and their allies, plus the Dark Harbinger we've heard about, made their way through the wormhole. And then--"

 

"Nightwing. Clear sectors W, X, Y and Z," Batman said into his communicator, causing Dream Girl to stop talking momentarily. "Begin setting up defensive positions at R, T, and V." The Dark Knight nodded for Dream Girl to continue.

 

"Then what, Cate?" Superman Kalel said. "What else did you see?"

 

"Kal, I saw...I saw Harbinger die," she said, as some of the Kates listening in the vicinity caught their breaths. "Head shot, some kind of weird laser beam from the Dark Harbinger."

 

"Harbinger's still in a coma," Kalel said. "Was she awake? In the battle?"

 

"I don't know," Dream Girl said, before pausing to take a deep breath, looking like she was debating whether to reveal the rest of her vision.

 

"Is that all, Catelan?" Wonder Woman said.

 

Gibbs kneeled down next to her, and put a hand of support on her forearm. "Whatever you saw, however minute, in that vision could help us," he said.

 

"Okay...gods I wish Thom were here...what I saw next was frightening..."

 

"Thom would want you to be strong," said Saturn Girl, "and expect it. We're Legionnaires. We didn't agree to suspend ALL of the Code. Just subsection 4.3.8."

 

"The part about not killing except in self-defense," Superman Kal-El said, grimly.

 

"And I know you're not a coward," said Tymber Wolf. "So, as a guy named Jimmy Olsen from my world would say, 'spit it out'."

 

Dream Girl paused, then spoke.

 

"I saw the Dark Harbinger, standing over her body, everyone else - well, us - standing in shock...and he looked right at me, with the most evil, demonic look I've ever seen. Worse than Mekt, that Joker clone in the Darkness War, the Archmage....and he laughed. Then said, 'Darkseid wins'. And I screamed...like the fear was literally being jammed into my psyche....and I woke up."

 

Gibbs clasped her hands in his. "Good work," he said. "You have a sense when this is going to happen?"

 

"Any time."

 

"Then we take up stations now," Gibbs said. Wonder Woman and Batman nodded; a few moments later, the Supermen did.

 

The Aris arrival came seven minutes later.

 

The sniper known as Deadshot; the magician known as Zari; and Green Lantern and her JLA's nemesis, Major Force, were the first through.


	16. Chapter 15

Green Lantern steeled herself for the inevitable confrontation with the bastard who murdered her precious Abby and stuffed her in that godforsaken refrigerator.

 

Deadshot pulled out his rifle and looked for a target; he barely had time to put his finger on the trigger before being knocked backwards - not dead - by a sniper's bullet that bounced off the helmet, and ricocheted off Force's armor, backwards into the tube.

 

Zari - who on his world, had killed the magician Zatara after learning his secrets - had enough.

 

"!!!!!!!!!!EID DNA DAED PORD DNA DNAMMOC YM RAEH SETAK LLA" he screamed into the auditorium, expecting every one last of them to drop dead.

 

Except, they didn't.

 

"What madness is this?" shouted Zari. "EIDSETAK. EIDSETAK. EIDS--"

 

Zari was cut off in mid-rant by another sniper's bullet, tearing through his brain.

 

Gibbs' aim was true, a sight that repulsed most of the heroes there, Kates and non-Kates alike. The admonition against killing apparently was multiversal, and some looked at the men representing their greatest inspiration - the two Supermen - to see their reaction before all hell broke loose.

 

Both men were stoic. This battle would be very different than the typical hero/villain battle throughout some city. It would be a close to real war as almost any of them had ever been in.

 

Gibbs understood that. And so did a couple of other Kates.

 

_Caitlin Rose Todd, Field First Sergeant, assigned to "Easy Company", United States of Columbia Army_

_Kaitlyn Rose Todd, Corporal, United States Marine Corps, a.k.a. Corporal Steel, assigned to the All-Star Squadron_

 

Both pulled out their guns and fired at Deadshot and Force and past them into the tube.

 

Then the Crime Syndicate of Amerika flew through, looking for easy prey. They were met by their counterparts from Lantern's JLA, plus Superman Kalel.

 

And with that, the battle was on.

 

**Somewhere in the auditorium**

 

The heroes and villains paired off initially against those they were most familar with from their homeworlds.

 

The Flashes found themselves battling an Ari Haswari version of Flash's Rogues Gallery - and Johnny Quick from the Syndicate. Ziva David of the Blackhawks and a group of unfamiliar heroes who referred to themselves as the Retaliators jumped in on the side of the Flashes.

 

Both Wonder Women, and the Legionnaires, fought a combination of the Legion's Fatal Five and Wonder Woman's own rogues gallery. Saturn Girl and Mr. Psycho fought on a psychic level, while Colossal Girl struggled against Validius; Wonder Woman of Earth-222 took on Tharok; and Shrinking Violet and Ultra Girl battled Mirror Master.

 

The Batfamily found out first hand what their own rogues' gallery with Ari playing all the parts would be like to fight.

 

The Bats - despite Batman-222's unspoken admonition to kill only if necessary - made surprising headway against their opposition.

 

One unexpected Batfamily member was a doppelganger of Abby Sciuto: Harley Quinn, who plowed through the likes of Clayface and Talon and an evil rodent version of Ragman with ease. Huntress sensed that Abby Harley was merely trying to kill them quickly and efficiently; she - like the Harley Quinn (Harleen Quinzel) she knew - had no idea of the violence and gore she was unleashing on her opponents.

 

Batman-222 did, but he was too busy keeping track of the overall battle - and of the Syndicate - to intervene.

 

Not that Owlman would have allowed it.

 

The Superfamily fought their own rogues gallery, but chose to incapacitate, rather than kill, their opponents.

 

After Superman-222 took an alive-but-comatose Cyborg Superman out of the battle, he saw the blonde Kate Supergirl going at it with an Ari Luthor - and another Kate wearing the uniform of the Syndicate member Superwoman daring the brunette Kate Supergirl to attack her. The SuperPets were handling the likes of Metallo, Braverman, Atomic Skull and Parasite with difficulty, but effectively, while the Superman Kalel was using a Kryptonian self-defense hold to incapacitate a man who looked like a mixture of Haswari and General Zod.

 

Perhaps, Kal-El thought, the Superfamily could spread out and help the other heroes.

 

"Thinking in battle, you fool?" he heard, turning his jaw to less the blow from the punch thrown by the brutish Ultraman.

 

Elsewhere, the Challengers were shooting to kill any villain that moved on their positions, and were thus far grateful for a 100 percent kill rate.

 

The Atom was in the brain of Chronos, trying to shut down his brain without killing him (if possible) and preventing him from using his abilities to freeze the Kates in place so the Aris could pick them off.

 

The Green Lanterns, plus Dr. Fate and the Retaliator known as Silver Sorceress took on Force, Ari Sinestro and Power Ring. J'onn J'onzz took on his Syndicate counterpart. Aquaman and Aquagirl took on the Sea King and the Ari Aqualad. Captain Marvel took on Black Adam.

 

Green Arrow and Black Canary teamed up, taking on, and out, the likes of Vandal Savage, the Sportsmaster, Brick and the Rainbow Archer. Firestorm went head-to-head against Killer Frost. Other Kates and non-Kates organized in familiar-to-them groupings - the Titans, Infinitors, Justice League, Young Justice, Pax Americana, the Y-Men, Future Family, Doom Patrol - and fought their enemies.

 

The Justice League: Los Angeles team took on whomever, from a team full of ninjas to a Satanist Power Ring analogue. The special forces team - including Jane Rizzoli - who normally guarded the Healers now guarded them, Dr. Mallard, Jimmy Palmer and Jeanne Benoit inside the Shannon and Kelly, along with Harbinger.

 

**The Shannon and Kelly's medical room**

 

Harbinger woke up, hearing the ferocious battle outside, bodies battering the hull, guns and other strange weapons being fired ceaselessly. It was not the worst-case scenario she envisioned, but much worse than she anticipated.

 

She would have to end this quickly. Harbinger got out from her cot, and fell to the floor - which was heard by Ducky and Maura.

 

As she struggled to get up, both doctors burst through her door.

 

"Lie back down," Maura ordered, trying to pick Harbinger up off the floor. "You're in no condition to fight."

 

"Neither WILL you - until the last possible moment," Ducky added.

 

"Have to...have to...end....this..." mumbled Harbinger, slowly regaining her equilibrium while mustering up her inner power reserves.

 

"You're too important, my dear, to go out there now," cautioned Ducky. "Jethro said you CANNOT fall into enemy hands."

 

"Special forces are protecting the ship," Maura added. "Justice League Los Angeles has surrounded the ship, too--" She stopped mid-sentence, watching the heroines Firebrand, Fire, Ice and Yankee Poodle run past.

 

"Dr. Isles, check on the others in the hangar," Ducky said of the impromptu recovery ward the medics put there. "Headed there now," said Maura, as she was joined by Lt. Tommy Rizzoli, both running towards the hangar. "Now let me help you up, my dear--"

 

Harbinger gripped Ducky by both arms, her eyes glowing with a fierce white light.

 

"He is here, lying in wait," she said, with an otherworldly, intense tone. "He will kill them all unless I show myself. It is I he wants."

 

"Who...who are you referring to...?"

 

"The Dark Harbinger," Harbinger said. "You will find your medical devices ineffective. Rest assured I am ready to fulfill my duty."

 

Ducky didn't like the implications whatsoever, knowing he couldn't talk her out of leaving.

 

"Now stand aside, Dr. Mallard. I AM walking out of here to fulfill my mission."

 

As she walked out of the room and down the hall towards the exit, Ducky ran out to ask a single question, hoping for a more positive response than he expected to get. "You are going to fulfill your duty, you say. I take it this is a one-way trip, so to speak?"

 

Harbinger turned back to address Ducky. "It is," she said, sadly, before flying out the exit.

 

Dr. Isles ran down the hallway, seeing Ducky there. "The 'purple' Batgirl and the one Duplicate Damsel are steady; Tommy's with them now--" Maura stopped talking, ran past Ducky into Harbinger's room, now empty.

 

"She left, didn't she?"

 

"I'm afraid so, my dear. Perhaps...perhaps she will end this madness...and survive the ordeal."

 

**The auditorium**

 

One of the Aris had used every bit of psychology and deception he knew to keep the heroes chasing him and from getting killed themselves, when he was in the open.

 

Mostly he hid, not out of cowardice but looking for the right instant to strike.

 

He allowed the Syndicate to think of him as an ally, and simply told Sea King, Johnny Quick and Martian Mankiller to be ready. He let them assume the plan, never telling them what to be ready for.

 

Doctor Light, using everything his world's Lex Luthor and White Martian Mansavior had taught him, got as close as he could to J'onn J'onzz, then aimed a direct mental message to the Martian hero. The message explained who he was, how he was embedded amongst the Aris, and his plan to help the heroes gain the edge.

 

J'onn in turn probed his mind, quickly and thoroughly, stopping only when satisfied that Doctor Light was on the level. A few minutes later, the plan was put into motion.

 

"DUCK AND COVER! PRONTO!"

 

One of multiple scenarios discussed in the pre-battle meetings was the use of a bomb to stop the Aris here. What J'onn just broadcast to all of the heroes was supposed to be a last-ditch scenario. Everyone ducked, wondering what in hell had gone wrong.

 

The massive white light that Doctor Light projected filled the auditorium, and blinded most of the surviving Aris. For heroes immune to the light - like the Superfamily - it was a signal to strike.

 

The white light began to lessen almost immediately, but the villains caught by the flash still couldn't see, and their opponents took advantage.

 

Superman Kalel delivered a thunderous punch to Ultraman, knocking the evil Kryptonian unconscious. Some heroes - like Gibbs and the Challengers - resumed shooting.

 

So did the villains. Doctor Light died from a shot to the forehead by Major Force himself.

 

Green Lantern, trying vailantly to stop the villains while adhering to her JLA's no-kill philosophy, decided enough was enough. Because Parallax had decimated the Green Lantern Corps in her universe - leading the last Guardian to grant her the last power ring - the restrictions on the rings used by the Corps members were rendered null.

 

For that reason, Batman thought she was potentially a greater threat than Parallax; in turn, Superman attempted to drill the 'no-kill' philosophy into her. Her Gibbs reminded Kate of her NCIS training, and that agents weren't assassins, but were trained to kill if necessary.

 

Even with Force's murder of Doctor Light, it wasn't absolutely necessary to kill him. Force had fortified his suit to prevent her from using the ring to incapacitate him - but he still needed to see.

 

So she shot a microscopic ray into Force's optic nerves, gaining access to his brain, which she proceeded to scramble. Moments later, he fell to the floor, drooling and babbling.

 

Several Aris pulled out weapons - some with yellow bullets - and shot at her; all were stopped by her force field, which worked like a charm...

 

...until it disappeared.

 

POWER RING LEVEL DOWN TO 0.00000001 PERCENT

SHUT DOWN IMMINENT

 

"Oh God," she whispered, as Power Ring, Ocean Master, Ivy, and the Grey Man approached.

 

Zatanna snuck past Ocean Master, jumped on top of Lantern, and yelled "WON YLLEK DNA NONNAHS OT I DNA NRETNAL EKAT ELOHMROW" A wormhole then appeared, and she and Lantern disappeared through it, appearing in front of the Shannon and Kelly between Lt. Bass and Thorn.

 

Fate flew rapidly to their position, pulling another ring out of her pocket. "Use this," she urged. "It has three hours of power--"

 

Fate stopped, looking up to see Ari Luthor and Superwoman thrown through the air at high speed, landing hard along the back wall near the ceiling, then falling to the floor, alive but unconscious. Fate, Lantern and others in the vicinity looked up, and saw a dark, possessed Ari hovering above the ship.

 

"They hid, biding their time until they could take the advantage for themselves...and forgetting who brought them here in the first place."

 

He was the Dark Harbinger, and he noticed an angry Ultraman flying towards him at superspeed.

 

The Kryptonians, and a few others, heard Kal-Ul yell "YOU HAVE DESTROYED MY WOMAN" before Dark Harbinger stopped him in mid-air, causing the Syndicate's leader-in-name to nearly break his neck. Then, as he did with Luthor and Superwoman, he shoved Ultraman towards the back wall, where the Maniac of Steel fell helplessly, and unconsciously, to the floor, next to his 'woman'.

 

"Take positions!" Gibbs yelled seconds later, and the heroes began to move. Dark Harbinger looked to the ship, and towards the Challengers, and his eyes glowed.

 

He was hit by a beam of light, and pinned by it against the ceiling.

 

"It is I you want, Dark Harbinger," said Harbinger. "But neither you nor your dark lord will have me."

 

"Dark...seid...IS...." the Dark Harbinger struggled to say. "DARK...SEID...IS..."

 

At that point, the Boom Tube erupted, and most of the villains still alive momentarily hesitated between leaving Dark Harbinger and escaping to safety.

 

Most chose to escape.

 

Gibbs, after seeing Harbinger move closer to Dark Harbinger, still hitting him with that incredible beam of light - and seeing the first of those escaping through the Boom Tube - looked upwards towards Superman Kalel.

 

He saw Gibbs' silent message, and in turn sent a crude telepathic message to J'onn, who in turn relayed the single message to the heroes:

 

 

Even the few who wanted to fight understood this was not the time to do so. They took their wounded - or dead - and fell back to the vicinity of the Shannon and Kelly.

 

The Challengers, the Blackhawks, JLLA, the Healers' special ops team, and a handful of heroes most sympathetic to Gibbs took up defensive positions. Their lone order - shoot to kill at hostiles - resulted in 15 dead Aris, while Beppo and Kid Flash did a quick count of their own. Everyone, including the injured and the few dead, was in friendly territory.

 

A few Aris sought to surrender, including Deadshot, holding the body of Doctor Light. The other 16 Aris had their hands up, and allowed themselves to be bound. Meanwhile, Kal-El was looking frantically for a certain group, relaxing momentarily when he saw them, then tensing up at what was not a tug-of war between the two Harbingers.

 

"Crime Syndicate's hiding on the other side; I don't see anyone else on their side who isn't here - or dead," Kal-El said, before looking towards the back. "We need to secure them. Now."

 

"Ahead of you, friend," Kalel replied. "Kara, Bruce and I resolved that situation."

 

"For the moment," said Batman. "If they wake up--"

 

"THEN 'THEY' DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT ANYTHING EXCEPT GETTING THE HELL OUTTA HERE," bellowed Ultraman, as Ari Luthor and Superwoman began coming to. Huntress and Hawkwoman noticed the Syndicators leaving their position and coming their way, and the heroes readied for another fight.

 

Except Owlman held up a white flag - actually, a piece of Black Adam's cape - which the heroes and Aris recognized as a symbol of surrender. "This is not a coward's symbol," he said.

 

"And I am no coward," Black Adam said coldly, hands bound behind his back by a mystic ankh conjured by Dr. Fate.

 

"You're giving up," Batman said skeptically to the Syndicators.

 

"On the contrary," Owlman replied. "I am about to offer you a solution to our mutual problem." Owlman glanced towards the Harbingers, now staring at one another, both glowing - Harbinger white-yellow, Dark Harbinger a dull red. "Both beings possess incredible power to destroy this universe, not to mention ourselves--"

 

"NO ONE CAN DESTROY THE SYNDICATE" bellowed Ultraman. "I HEAR YOU OVER THERE, THOMAS. MAKING DECISIONS LIKE--"

 

"The leader that he is," yelled Superwoman. Both bickered for several moments, before Wonder Woman Caitlin, Gibbs and Supergirl Kara/Julie yelled back at them to shut up.

 

"Impressive," Owlman said, eyeing Batwoman, who looked like she was ready to gut him with her batarang.

 

"Enough," said Green Lantern, saying it just ahead of Kal-El and Wonder Woman Diana. "You act like you want to deal."

 

"The Syndicate doesn't 'deal', wench," interrupted the Sea King, stopped by a glare from the Dark Owl himself.

 

"Then stop wasting time so we can support Harbinger," said Wonder Woman Caitlin.

 

"We cannot support her; whatever 'line' you thought needed to be defended must be abandoned," Owlman said. "We all leave them to their fate, and survive."

 

"After everything we've learned?" Lantern said. "Hell no. You know this 'Darkseid' that Dark Harbinger represents wanted to kill us. To get to our worlds."

 

"She's right, Thomas," shouted Superwoman, who limped towards the center of the group, along with Ari Luthor and Ultraman, and at both Supermen's insistence; still, anyone with a gun had it aimed at those three, and the other villains. "Bastard told me that himself. This Darkseid would destroy our Earth. That's why I left--chose to leave."

 

Kalel told Owlman, Luthor, Black Adam to debrief the heroes on what Dark Harbinger said before the invasion, and their plans. The Carrier and Dark Carrier were to be used to attack the Earth below, using it as a beachhead for a multiversal invasion. The Dark Carrier has plenty of boom tubes to facilitate such an invasion, and the Carrier has at least one.

 

"Did they go back to this 'Dark Carrier'," Supergirl Kara/Julie asked.

 

"No. They went to Apokolips," Owlman said, matter of factly.

 

"Before you ask what Apokolips is," interjected Black Adam. "It is worse than what the Syndicators and those on their Earth recognize as the cold desolate hell of space - and many of you recognize as the hell where those who reject your God are punished for eternity."

 

"It is why I gave myself up," Deadshot said. "There is no return from Apokolips. Those who escaped through the boom tube, now belong to Darkseid for eternity."

 

"Now," Lantern said, "the question isn't whether we stop Apokolips here. It's how."

 

**Next: The conclusion.**


	17. Chapter 16

**The Conclusion**

 

The plan was to get everyone off the ship, while a small team stayed behind to support Harbinger; although no one trusted the villains in general, the use of the Wonder Womens' lassos confirmed Dark Harbinger implied or outright told them their worlds would be destroyed without their participation, and their suspicions that Dark Harbinger was lying to them.

 

Darkseid and his forces would go after their homeworlds no matter what.

 

Any battle between the two Harbingers would likely be over in seconds, and the support team was chosen with that in mind.

 

The question was now how to get everyone off the ship - and the answer came when Harbinger unexpectedly dropped all of the shields. Plans were made to put everyone on the Shannon and Kelly, or in one of Power Ring's or Dr. Fate's constructs.

 

Everything changed in an instant, when the two Harbingers disappeared.

 

One of the Supermen left the ship, headed towards the Dark Carrier; another of the Supermen left the carrier, headed Earthside.

 

Four minutes later, Superman of Earth-120 arrived back on the carrier, moments ahead of Superman-123.

 

"They're on the Dark Carrier," said Superman-120. "They're also the only ones on that ship. The only life forms on the ship - I can't even detect any microscopic lifeforms."

 

"Did a quick sweep of the planet," Superman-123, Kalel, said. "Things are getting a little antsy down there."

 

"How 'antsy'?" said Gibbs.

 

"They're talking about launching nukes on some of their radio broadcasts, and the U.S. military at least looks like it's at Defcon 2," Kalel replied. "We need to send a team down there, maybe to their U.N., to explain things and calm tensions."

 

"Last thing we want is to cause a war," said Wonder Woman-223. "I volunteer to lead a team."

 

While Wonder Woman-222 took 11 of the Kates down to the U.N. to request a meeting with the Secretary General, the support team made plans to go to the Dark Carrier.

 

_Support Team One_

 

  *          Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Earth-216, Challengers of the Unknown
  *          Superman (Kal-El), Earth-222, JLA
  *          Superman (Kalel), Earth-123, JLA
  *          Green Lantern (Kate Todd), Earth-222, JLA, "armored up" with Dr. Fate's pseudo power ring
  *          Owlman 323 (Thomas Wayne) Crime Syndicate of America
  *          Overgirl 310 (Kate Todd) Justice Gods
  *          Wonder Woman 226 (Princess Caitlin)
  *          Captain Marvel 167 (Kate Todd) Avengers
  *          Engineer 250 (Kate) Justice Authority
  *          Peacemaker 400 (Kate Todd) Pax Americana
  *          Golden Arrow 1005 (Martin Deeks) Justice League Los Angeles
  *          Wonder Woman ("Wonder Wabbit") 1026 JLA (Justice League of America "Justa Lotta Animals")



 

Before they arrived at the Dark Carrier, the Supermen and Overgirl detected one less lifeform on board.

 

They hoped it was Harbinger.

 

Then they detected two lifeforms as they entered the Dark Carrier.

 

The support team headed straight for the conference room where they expected to find the two harbingers - and all (except for Owlman) were disheartened - and shocked - at what they saw.

 

Harbinger's lifeless body, lying in blood, a small hole in her forehead;

 

Dark Harbinger, standing over her body, his expression not one of triumph but of anger and rage at the being standing at the other end of her body:

 

The Monitor of Earth-223 who, except for his suit, red skin and mutton sideburns, was the spitting image of Gibbs himself.

 

"The correct strategy is to put a bullet through both of their skulls," Owlman whispered to the team. "While I am certain that is repugnant to the rest of you, it is the only rational course of action."

 

"We're NOT killing Gibbs," Green Lantern shot back, before turning to the Supermen and to Challenger Gibbs. "We're supporting him and recovering her. Right?....RIGHT?"

 

Gibbs acknowledged her with a glance, then looked at Kalel. "How quickly can either of you recover her body and wrap it in your cape?"

 

"2.9 seconds," both men said.

 

"On my mark," Gibbs said, waiting for the Monitor or Dark Harbinger to make the first move.

 

Both beings - they were no longer mere men - were speaking and arguing in an unknown language.

 

"Gibbs...what's your gut telling you?" Peacemaker asked.

 

"To keep your weapon loaded, Agent Todd," Gibbs quipped.

 

"She's referring to them, Jethro," said the Leporidae Wonder Woman. "You have ANY rational idea of what those men are going to do?"

 

"Wait," Gibbs said, as he felt a hand on his shoulder; he turned, saw it was Owlman, and gave him a glare sufficient for the Syndicator to remove it.

 

"I just wanted to give you my support," Owlman said with a smirk.

 

"Don't WANT your support," Gibbs said. "Only to follow my lead."

 

"And I think I know what that is," Owlman said, stepping back.

 

"So do I," said Green Lantern. "You sure you can read him, Gibbs?"

 

"Be ready, watch me, follow my lead," Gibbs said.

 

A few minutes later, the Monitor stepped back, holding out his arms, and spoke to the Dark Harbinger, who looked back in confusion before his eyes began glowing red.

 

"Unload," Gibbs said the keyword to the team, and while Kalel sped to recover Harbinger, the rest unloaded their weapons towards the dark, demonic Ari Haswari whose soul was too far attached to Darkseid to be salvaged.

 

With everything in her, Green Lantern unloaded her weapon, with the intent to blow the head off the beast who had killed several of her counterparts on the Carrier, who represented the beast who murdered her first love and stuffed her in that damned refrigerator, who represented a beast that was a thousand times worse and had to be stopped...

 

and everything went blank.

 

**Earth-222**

 

Green Lantern heard Gibbs' voice, and saw the Superman she knew, and Wonder Woman, and barely noted the others around.

 

"Careful," she heard another voice she knew well, but it couldn't be his. He was nowhere close to the Carrier. "You've been in a nasty battle, my dear. Your recovery will take some time."

 

"Gibbs....Ducky?!?....Ducky, how'd you get here?" Green Lantern tried to raise up, and felt the Man of Steel's hand on her head.

 

"Careful, Kate, steady," Superman said, supporting her while she sat up and got her bearings. Then she looked around, and saw Gibbs, the one she knew and not the Challenger she met on the Carrier, and Dr. Mallard. Then she noticed Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman from her Justice League, and the rest of Gibbs' team - Tony, McGee, Ziva, Palmer and Catherine Willows, the former Las Vegas CSI who replaced Abby.

 

"Where's Donna?" Kate said of her current girlfriend. "Donna?"

 

"She's on her way, Caitlin," Wonder Woman said. "So is your sister, Rachel. Your parents and family are waiting for you at NCIS."

 

"How'd I...get here?" Kate looked around, and saw she was sitting on a cot in Gibbs' basement. "How I'd end up HERE? Of all places? And what happened at the Carrier?"

 

Superman explained how the Monitor approached him, Kalel, and Challenger Gibbs about a support team attacking the Dark Harbinger in secret. They'd hide, in the same way that on some worlds, Ziva David hid while Ari Haswari moved to kill Leroy Jethro Gibbs in his basement - then shot Haswari.

 

"Somehow, our combined forces on Dark Ari caused a tear in space/time," Batman told her. "You got knocked out, but the ring you had saved your life."

 

"Did we get him? Did we get the bastard?" Kate said resolutely, and noticed that Superman winced at her euphemism. Wonder Woman smiled, and Gibbs - the one from her earth - grinned.

 

"From what they tell me, yeah, you all did," Gibbs said.

 

"And the Monitor got us all to our homes - even the villains," Wonder Woman added. "The other Supermen and Supergirl delivered the bodies of those who didn't make it back to their worlds."

 

"Is there a list?" Kate said. Superman and Wonder Woman nodded. Thirty seven Kates died - none of them were ones she had gotten to know, but their losses stung just the same.

 

"Sounds like you did good, Kate," Tony said, trying to cheer her up. "You saved the universe."

 

"For once, DiNozzo's right, Agent Todd," Gibbs added. "You DID do good."

 

"Thanks," she said. "You two don't give compliments out easily - I'll take it....oh god, where's my ring?"

 

"On your finger, Kate," quipped Tony, who was rewarded with an elbow from Ziva. "OW!"

 

"I assumed you would deliver it yourself if you were in better condition," Ziva stated, innocently.

 

Kate smiled, then panicked; her GL ring was there, but Dr. Fate's ring wasn't.

 

"The mystical ring from Dr. Fate was temporary," Superman said. "I assume your own ring's due for a charge?"

 

"Overdue, but it's stuck in my apartment," Kate said, before noting Gibbs getting up and walking over to his boat, which she hadn't noticed until now was glowing a bright green.

 

"No idea how this thing ended up here," Gibbs pointed to the glow. "I think it's yours."

 

The lantern flew from the frame of the boat and hovered in front of Kate.

 

She had enough strength to reach out her arm, stick her hand in the batter, and recite the Green Lantern oath:

 

_In brightest day, in blackest night_

_No evil shall escape my sight_

_Let those who worship evil's might_

_Beware my power, Green Lantern's light!_

 

Then the entire basement lit up in bright green, and within a minute Kate's ring was fully charged.

 

And she never felt better.

 

"Or so you say, Caitlin," Ducky said. "Meet me at the Navy Yard ASAP. I will be happy to clear you for active duty - IF you pass my physical exam."

 

"As chairman of the League, I second that," Superman said. "Need a lift?"

 

"I don't think so - though if you want to ride shotgun, that'd be alright," Kate said.

 

"We'll meet you there," Gibbs said. "We have a cold case to work on." Neither Tony, Willows, McGee nor Ziva were aware of one, but figured Gibbs would have one waiting when they got to the Navy Yard.

 

**Epilogue**

 

The Syndicate was back on its Earth, and Superwoman was already plotting to get back to Ari Luthor, who was being pursued by the heroes and authorities on his world.

 

The Challengers returned to their world, prepping for another trip into the Unknown - this time with their Kate.

 

Supergirl and the Superpets explained their adventure to their Justice League and to Superman's friends - Lois, Lana, Jimmy and Perry - and filled in for him while he recuperated at his Fortress of Solitude.

 

Batwoman returned to her world, mourned her loss, then moved on to the next battle in defending Gotham.

 

Wonder Woman, Atom, Hawkwoman, the rest returned to their worlds, safe and sound.

 

On another Earth, its Ari Haswari cleaned his rifle. He had four agents to kill, and he needed to time it just right so that he wouldn't tip off the Authority or the WildC.A.T.S.

 

Behind him, a man appeared out of nowhere, and the bullets from Ari's pistol passed right through him.

 

"My name is Glorious Godfrey," he said. "I have an offer you cannot refuse."

 

Godfrey's promise of weapons that would make Gibbs and his team suffer - and fight off a superhuman as powerful as Apollo - was a lie. But Godfrey would live to serve another day, because he had given his master Darkseid another Dark Harbinger.

 

On Earth 223, the Monitor returned to his ship, having answered a million questions that the world's leaders had for him at the United Nations building.

 

Its society would never be the same; the arrival of the twin carriers, and the sighting of the superheroes, the arrival of the heroines at the UN, had a massive ripple effect on the entire world. But they weren't his problem - yet.

 

He returned to his ship, and decided to think things through as he always had: working on his ship.

 

And he found his answer to one of his biggest concerns. He'd travel the multiverse, looking for the right Kate just as the original Monitor had found his Lyta on an Earth lost to the ages.

 

He'd train her to be his Harbinger, and when the time came, once again he'd gather together his Justice League of Kates to help him fight the threat.

 

**THE END...for now.**


End file.
